The Crime Lord and I Will Not Be Finished
by Brii-sama
Summary: Please see profile for explanation and look for rewrite - coming soon.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I really should be working on my other story, but I'm trying to find a way to write it without it being dumb and tedious. So instead I'm writing this for a bit. Also, I honestly couldn't come up with a better name than this.

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or it's characters.

Warnings: AU, yaoi, sex, torture, rape, violence, language, so on and so forth.

**Chapter One**

Hiei propped his feet up on his desk and leaned back, pondering what to do for lunch.

_I could get sesame chicken…or maybe I'll go for stir-fry today. I wonder if that little ramen shop is open…_

"Hiei-sama?" The spiky-haired male glanced at the door to his office. His second in command, Toguro, stood in the doorway with a folder.

"What is it?"

"Minamino is four weeks late with his protection fee." Ruby eyes lit up in glee and the crime lord sat up.

"Is that so? Tell me, how many times has Minamino been late with his protection fee?"

"This makes the third time." Grinning, Hiei sat up and donned his jacket as he headed for the door.

"Third times the charm. Lets go rough the bastard up a bit, shall we?"

"He's got a wife now." Hiei froze and slowly turned to Toguro. The taller man's lips twitched into a grin.

"And a pretty little stepson." Hiei's eyes lit up maliciously.

"Does he now?"

"He does." A grin tickled Hiei's lips and spread across his face. He turned back to the door and began to head out, a bit slower.

"Well now. That's interesting. Very interesting indeed." Hiei didn't say anything else as he slid into the backseat of his black car. Toguro slid in next to him and handed him a folder with three pictures and profiles inside. The first one was of Minamino Jiro. Hiei filed that one to the back and checked the second one, his eyes dancing in glee.

"This is his wife, I presume?" Toguro nodded and motioned for the driver to head for Jiro's house.

"Minamino Shiori. She's very pretty." Glancing over her profile, Hiei smirked. Devoted and loving wife, never done anything wrong, husband died many years ago, miraculously recovered from cancer recently. Filing her profile to the back and raised an eyebrow at the next picture.

"I thought you said he had a step_son_." Toguro looked over his shoulder and grinned.

"He does. That's him. Pretty, isn't he?" Still looking at the picture, Hiei nodded.

"Yeah. We'll take the kid and rough up Minamino and his wife. Make sure they see us taking him." Toguro nodded. It didn't take long for them to pull up to a nice house on the outskirts of town. Hiei stepped out when the driver opened the door for him and motioned to the guys who had been following in a black van.

"Lets go." They followed him up to the door, where he rang the doorbell. Inside, he could hear a pleasant voice speak.

"I'll get it!" A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a rather beautiful redhead. His emerald green eyes widened in surprise as he took in Hiei's appearance, along with the presence of the people behind him. Cocking his head to the side slightly, Hiei grinned.

"Hello love. Don't take this the wrong way, but we're going to kidnap you now and beat up your mom and dad." The redhead moved to slam the door shut, but Hiei was slightly faster. He drove his fist into the boy's stomach with enough force to knock the wind from him. The boy gasped slightly and fell unconscious, falling forwards as he did so. Leaning forward, Hiei caught him on his shoulder and picked him up off the ground.

"Shuichi!" He looked in and spotted a woman standing from her chair. She looked weak and sickly. This was observation was confirmed when she stumbled and fell back down, clutching her chest. Jiro appeared in the doorway and paled when he saw Hiei. The crime lord nodded to his unconscious stepson.

"You've been slacking off on your protection fee, Minamino." Shiori looked up from her spot on the ground.

"What is he talking about?" Jiro looked at his wife frantically.

"He's spouting nonsense, sweetie! I don't even know him! Call the police and tell them there's a lunatic trying to take Shuichi!" Hiei narrowed his eyes and frowned.

"Boys, break a leg and a couple of his ribs too." Shiori's head snapped back to Hiei, her eyes filled with horror.

"No, please! Don't take Shuichi! Take me instead! Please don't hurt my son!"

"Knock the wife out too." Suddenly, Jiro grabbed his wife and held her up to Hiei.

"Take her too! You can consider her payment!" Shiori flinched as she was manhandled up.

"Jiro, what are you doing?"

"Y-you can sell her o-or do anything you want with her!" Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"You shirk on your payments and _then_ think you can sell your own family to pay off _your_ debt? You really are a stupid bastard." Jiro nearly dropped Shiori. Luckily, one of Hiei's men, Suzuka, had been moving forward throughout the conversation and caught her.

"She's not too bad looking either, Hiei-sama. We could take her as-"

"No. Knock her out. We're just taking the boy." The blonde shrugged and knocked Shiori out, letting her crumple to the floor. Jiro backed up, eyes wide with fear. This turned to absolute terror when he bumped into another of Hiei's men.

"Rough him up a bit." Turning, Hiei headed back to his car. He opened the trunk and placed the boy in. He opened the air hole that had been installed a while back before closing it and getting in the back.

"Toguro, I'll meet you back at the mansion. Break both his legs for me."

"Yes sir."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama ((explanation will come later)) opened his eyes slowly. It was dark, his stomach hurt and he vaguely remembered the man hitting him there to knock him out and take him and… The memories came back fully and the redhead sat up quickly, smashed his head on the roof of the trunk less than half way up, and fell back down.

"Ow…" Rolling onto his side, Kurama squinted as he saw a hole of light. He moved closer to it and looked out, trying to see where they were. All he could see were trees and a road.

_We must be in the mountains…whoever_ we _are._

Rolling onto his back again, Kurama stretched his arms up. He spent a few minutes finding out exactly how big the space he was in was. It was big enough for him to lay comfortably, but he couldn't sit up or stretch out completely in any direction.

_This…is not good._

Kurama pressed his lips into a thin line and thought about what he was going to do. They'd (hopefully) let him out soon, and when they did, he might be able to escape. Or at least try. He felt the car stop and heard someone get out of the back of the car and come towards him. He quickly positioned himself so that he could lung at whoever opened the trunk. The second the trunk door opened, he lunged out and tackled the person who had opened it. It just so happened to be the person that had knocked him out in the first place. Without hesitating, Kurama stood and began sprinting towards the gate in the distance. A large man stood in his way and he leapt directly up, pushing off the man's shoulder and landing gracefully on the ground. Three men came at him at once and he dropped to the ground and slid between the legs of the one in his path. Unfortunately, he was still caught. A large man with tan skin and black hair caught his wrists and threw him over his shoulder. He began walking back to the male Kurama had tackled while Kurama tried to escape his grasp.

"Won't do you any good."

"I've noticed that." They stopped in front of the spiky-haired male and the tanned man dropped Kurama on the ground in front of him. Before anyone could say anything, the redhead stood, wheeled around to face the red-eyed man, and punched him. Immediately, his arms were grabbed and he was hauled back and off his feet. One of the men raised a fist to hit Kurama, but the man he had punched waved him off. His ruby eyes glittered as he grinned.

"Hoo, this one's quite the fighter. Tell me, boy, what's your name?"

"What did you do to my mother." Snorting, the man grinned even more.

"She's fine. Better off than that deadweight she married."

"You didn't answer my question." This time a fist really did connect with his face.

"You cocky little bastard! You should be on your knees begging Hiei-sama for mercy!"

"Knock it off, Ryozo." Turning back to Kurama, the man smirked.

"I didn't do anything to-"

"Answer the damn question!" Raising an eyebrow, the spiky-haired male chuckled.

"You're a feisty one. All right, Minamino-kun, I'll answer your question for if you answer my question and tell me your name."

"…It's Kurama."

"Kurama…interesting. My name's Hiei. As for your mother, _Kurama_, she's merely unconscious. When she wakes up, I hope she divorces that sorry sack of flesh or at least tips the refrigerator on top of him." Hiei motioned to the man holding Kurama and he let the redhead go. His cheek still smarting, the boy quickly tried to find the best way out. He was fairly surrounded on all sides. He noticed Hiei watching him and scowled.

"What do you want me for?"

"Simple. Your good for nothing stepfather didn't pay his protection fee, he needs to pay. Toguro, escort our guest to his room." The man behind Kurama nodded and grabbed his shoulder, steering him in the direction of the mansion. Hiei watched them leave before sending his subordinates off to do their jobs. Then he went to look for an icepack for his cheek.

"Fuck that hurt."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama stumbled and caught himself as he was shoved inside the room. Before he could glare at Toguro, the door was shut and locked from the outside.

"Great." Setting his face to impassive, the redhead began wandering around. It was lavishly decorated in red and black silk. Snorting, Kurama flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes. It was already dark outside, seeing as how Hiei had interrupted them during dinner. Rolling onto his side, Kurama debated falling asleep. Since the door was locked from the outside, anyone could come in and do god knows what to him.

_And wouldn't_ that _be wonderful. Yusuke, Kuwabara, please help me._

The door suddenly opened and Kurama leapt up, backing away from whoever it was. He was surprised to see Hiei standing there, ice pack in hand. The male looked just as surprised to see him. He turned to the hall, pointed to it, and then turned back to Kurama.

"How…when…what are you doing here?" Blinking a bit, the boy cocked his head.

"I was led here…why?"

"This is _my_ room! What the Hell were they doing bringing you to _my_ room?!" Crossing his arms, Kurama narrowed his eyes.

"I wonder." It took precisely three seconds for Hiei to understand what he was talking about. Ruby eyes narrowed in anger and Hiei clenched his hands into fists.

"You think _I_ told them to bring you here?!"

"Well who else could do it? I mean, they _obviously_ do _whatever_ you tell them to! Lord knows you wouldn't be the _first_ pathetic loser to try and bed me!"

"As if I'd be interested in a scrawny girl like you!"

"Nice originality. I've _never_ been called a _girl_ before!"

"You're the most insufferable brat I've ever come across!"

"Takes one to know one, fucker!" Outside, Karasu and Toguro stared at the door.

"…Maybe putting the red in Hiei-sama's room wasn't the _best_ idea we've ever had." Toguro shook his head and began walking down the hall.

"Just a lovers spat." At the moment, the something slammed against the door.

"Bet you even do it with the _teachers_!"

"_You're_ the fucking whore you bastard!"

"Takes one to _know_ one, bitch!"

"I don't hear you denying it, you sorry-assed excuse for a mob boss!"

"You're gonna pay for that one brat!" Karasu looked back at the room and leaned back slightly.

"No, this was definitely a bad idea."

_CRASH_.

"OW!"

"Definitely a bad idea."

**End of Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm lazy scum. But my Internet was out for a while and I had tons of homework to do, so I have an excuse.

**Chapter Two**

Toguro looked up as Hiei stormed into the dining room. Hiei often ate with his men, mainly so he could check for poison. He flopped into his seat and glowered at everyone who even glanced at him. Karasu, on his left side, was brave enough to speak to him.

"So. Good night's sleep?"

"I _don't_ want to talk about it."

"What happened to your head?"

"Fucking brat threw a _mirror_ at me."

"And how bad does he look?" At this point, Hiei slouched in his chair and sulked. He glared at the eggs and toast that was put on his plate and refused to look at anyone. This told them that he hadn't touched the redhead, no matter how much he wanted to. He had been angry enough to yell, but for the most part Hiei had let the boy beat on him. Karasu snorted and removed his mask to eat while Toguro looked at his boss. Hiei had sat up and was beginning to eat, glaring at his fork.

"Should I bring Minamino-san some breakfast later?"

"Fucker can starve for all I care." A delicate hand reached over Hiei's shoulder, grabbed the full jug of orange juice, and dumped the whole thing on Hiei's head. Everyone froze in horror shock as Kurama picked up Hiei's plate, took his knife and fork, and headed back upstairs. Hiei was absolutely silent for several seconds before calmly taking the jug off his head and setting it right side up on the table. Standing, he turned and began to follow the redhead.

"Hiei…sama?"

"I'm going to go take a shower." No one said a word as their boss disappeared upstairs. They waited for doom to fall down on their heads.

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Hiei stormed up the steps, intent on killing the redhead. The softer part of his mind argued that he had brought the boy here in the first place without really explaining things to him.

_I'm_ still _going to kill him._

_But it's your own fault. He's scared and confused and, obviously, his first reaction is to defend himself._

_You don't know that! He could just be a bitch!_

_I don't think so. He doesn't really seem the type._

_Oh fuck you, what do you know?_

_I do know we're here._ Hiei blinked a bit in surprise as he found he was in fact standing in front of his door.

_You fucker._

_Go in and apologize._

_Screw that! I'm going to take a shower!_ Opening the door, Hiei ducked as a knife was thrown at his head.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

"Oh it's you."

"_YES_, it's me! Who did you _think_ it was?! The Christmas fairy?!" Narrowing his emerald eyes, Kurama crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

"My, my. Aren't _we_ a little ray of sunshine this morning." Hiei took several deep breaths, trying to understand why this one scrawny brat could get under his skin so much.

"_We,_ are a little ray of sunshine, because _someone,_ kicked us out, of _our own fucking room!_" Narrowing his eyes even more, Kurama spat his next words with more venom than a snake.

"Well maybe _someone_ wouldn't have kicked you out of _your own fucking room_ if _you_ weren't such a pathetic loser!"

"You know what?!"

"_WHAT_."

"I could kill you _right now _and _no one would care_!"

"Unlike _you_, _little boy_-" Hiei's eyes twitched.

_Little…boy?_

"I can actually _defend_ myself."

"Let me guess, you're going to call your pimp." Grabbing a vase, Kurama flung it at Hiei. It smashed against the wall.

"_No!_ _I_ could kick _your_ scrawny ass into next Tuesday with my bare hands!"

"You obviously don't know how much trouble you're in!"

"Well why don't you tell me."

"Fine! You're over your fucking head!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared of the wanna-be crime lord and his toadies!"

"And _I'm_ supposed to be scared of a wanna-be street punk?!"

"Fucker!"

"Bitch!"

"Bastard!"

"Whore!"

"Loser!"

"Slut!'

"Murderer!"

"Goody-goody!"

"Poser!" The two glared at each other for a while before Hiei stormed over to the bathroom door.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Good. Scrub off that stench, while you're at it."

"Maybe you'd like me to hold your head underwater until the _bubbles_ stop."

"Try it and I'll rip your balls off. Oh wait, you don't _have_ any."

"What are you, on your period? Or are you always this bitchy?"

"Could say the same for you." Snarling, Hiei opened his mouth to retort, decided against it, and shut it. He didn't feel like continuing the shouting match anymore. His throat was already getting sore from yelling so much. Turning, the crime lord stalked into the bathroom and slammed and locked the door behind him. He leaned against it, rubbing his temples in an attempt to ward off the oncoming headache. He had never met anyone so…_infuriating._ Outside, Kurama glared at the door before moving to pick up the remains of the vase. He sighed as he looked at the pieces. It had been a really beautiful vase and he regretted breaking it. His fingers came down on the rose that had been in the vase and he winced as a thorn pricked one of them. Bringing the digit up to his mouth, he absentmindedly licked off the blood, remembering how his mother used to say pricking your finger on a rose was bad luck.

_Can it really get any worse? _Shaking his head, the redhead gently placed the rose on the table beside the bed and returned to picking up the pieces of the vase. When he was finished, he stacked them as best as he could on the couch and began piecing them together to see if it was fixable. Inside the bathroom, Hiei gingerly touched the cut on his head. He and Kurama had verbally sparred for almost an hour until Kurama got so angry he grabbed the first thing he could-a mirror-and flung it as hard as he could at Hiei. The kid was a pretty good shot and the mirror connected, smashing into lots and lots of pieces. One of them had cut the crime lord badly and he had to leave to get a first aid kit. When he came back, he opted for sleeping out in the hall.

_Stupid brat. He has no idea how much trouble he's in. _Hiei stopped as a thought entered his head. What if he did know how much trouble he was in? What if he was acting out this way to defend himself because he was afraid?

_That kid doesn't strike me as the kind of person to be afraid of anyone. His first reaction to me was to hit me. And when we were fighting, he didn't seem afraid, just really angry. _Still pondering this, Hiei turned on his shower and stepped under the scalding water. He hated the cold, so his showers were usually hot. He sighed as the water rained on his flesh, nursing the bruises that had come from various objects. The orange juice in his hair came out as he ran a hand through the soft spikes. He gently fingered the bruise on the side of his face. Kurama had given it to him yesterday and it still smarted.

_Damn he can hit hard. Harder than most of my men. It would be interesting to see how he acts in bed. _This thought made Hiei grin. He wasn't sure why, he just found it funny. As he scrubbed his body, he thought about why he thought this about Kurama. He'd been hit before, and whenever they hit him his first thought was always 'I wonder how much torture it takes to break them'. With Kurama, he'd wondered what the redhead was like in bed.

_Well, he's attractive. He's also very physically healthy. His reactions are amazing. Not many could think fast enough, nor be flexible enough to avoid a man by leaping up and using his shoulder to vault over him. He's clever, witty, and he's got spunk._ The crime lord rubbed his bottom lip as he his mind came to a strange revelation.

"So what I'm saying is he's exactly what I'm looking for in a companion." Sighing, Hiei turned off the shower and stepped out. Even if Kurama _was_ the person he wanted to spend his life with, that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. The redhead hated him with a serious passion. Pulling on his pants, Hiei tossed his shirt over his shoulder, opened the door to his room and was about to step out when something slammed into the wall beside him. Glancing over, he saw one of his men holding his head and swearing.

"GODDAM BITCH!" Kurama, face red with anger, snarled.

"Keep your filthy hands off me unless you want me to do something more permanent!" Hiei took in the details of Kurama's state and noticed his shirt was torn open and there was a deep cut on his chest. The guy on the floor had a bloody knife in his hand. The whole thing suddenly made sense and, with one hand, the spiky-haired crime lord heaved the guy off the floor and dragged him over to the window. He kicked it open and dragged the man over the sill until almost all of him was hanging outside. Holding him by the neck, Hiei snarled.

"Apologize to Kurama." The man choked and tried to get free.

"That slut needed to be taught a lesson! He's not good for anything but being under someone!" Hiei glanced back at Kurama. The redhead caught his eyes for a few seconds before quickly glancing away. A few seconds was long enough for Hiei to see he was really upset. Turning back to the man, the crime lord shoved the rest of him out the window and let him dangle by his neck.

"I _said_ apologize to Kurama. _Now_. Unless, of course, you want to find out if you can survive dropping five stories to the ground and having your internal organs and skeletal system rearrange themselves." The man eyed the ground and paled before trying to speak.

"I-I'm…s-sorry…f-forgive me…" Looking back at the redhead, Hiei spoke to him this time.

"Your call." Kurama glanced up briefly before looking away.

"It's fine. You can let him…you don't have to kill him." The spiky-haired male nodded and dragged the man in, flinging him at the door.

"Get out of my sight. If I hear you've been even _looking_ at Kurama, there won't be enough of you to perform an autopsy. Got it?" The man nodded and scrambled out the door so fast he broke his nose tripping over his own feet. Once he was gone, Hiei grabbed Kurama's wrist and pulled him closer. The redhead jerked and tried to reclaim his arm.

"What are you-"

"Don't move. I'm trying to see how bad this cut of yours is." Kurama tugged at his arm and frowned.

"It's fine. Why do you care anyway? I thought I was a wanna-be street punk."

"You're still a punk, but you're starting to grow on me. And if you up and die, I'll have no one to argue with." The redhead watched him for a few seconds before letting himself be led to a couch. As Hiei grabbed the first aid kit, Kurama noticed he wore a necklace with black thread and a round crystal.

"Where did you get that necklace from?"

_Oh yes. And he's curious._ "Someone who's gone now. Hold still." Kurama did as he was told and Hiei carefully wrapped a bandage over the redhead's chest. They were silent for a bit until Kurama finally spoke.

"Thanks for saving me."

"Honestly, I don't doubt that you could have taken him on yourself. I was just hoping to get on your good side enough that you would take me seriously when I said I was sorry. Sorry, by the way."

"For what? I started the whole thing."

"Well, actually, if you want to get really technical, your dumbass stepfather started it." Kurama snorted and helped finish the bandage so that it would stay on.

"If you want to get _really_ technical, it's his parents fault for refusing to remove their stupidity from the gene pool." The crime lord chuckled and knelt in front of Kurama, taking the redhead's hands in his.

"If you would, fiery-haired angel, allow me to beg for forgiveness and, if you are feeling generous, forgive me for my sins." Kurama stared at him for a few seconds before his face broke into a grin.

"Okay, points for originality." Grinning back, Hiei took the seat next to him and stretched his arms over the back.

"Thanks. Am I forgiven?"

"Sure." Outside, Toguro grinned and began to walk off. Karasu glared at the door before following. As he walked, Toguro spoke in a rather smug tone.

"See? I told you it was just a lover's spat." Karasu glanced back and narrowed his eyes.

_I'll have to see to that._

**End of Chapter Two**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: …head/desk Bugger me. Sorry to everyone who's been reading this. I've been trying to update (honestly), but there have been…complications. (i.e.: mental block, problems in real world)

**Miki-chan:** Thanks for the review. I'm glad you think it's cute. I was aiming for a bit of fluff in this story.

**Marikalay:** Glad to hear it's interesting, thanks. And thanks for the review as well.

**MangasFan:** He may have multiple personality syndrome in which Yoko is his alternate personality, since I'm trying to keep the supernatural stuff to a minimum. I'm kind of at war with myself over that, however. Thanks for the review.

**Tori:** Thanks. I wasn't too sure how well Hiei's little spiel would go over, but it seems fine. Thanks for the review!

**Kurochan:** Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you think it's awesome. All y'all reviewing makes me smile.

**mistic fox:** Hee. I had that scene stuck in my head for nearly a week before I actually decided to add it into a story. Thanks for your review!

Chapter Three

Hiei yawned and stretched, rolling his head and shoulders to get the cricks out. He remembered what happened the day before ((it's the next day)) and grinned slightly as he leaned against the back of the couch. Kurama was still sleeping in his room, since Hiei wasn't exactly comfortable with leaving the pretty redhead alone after yesterday's events. Said teen was sleeping in his bed, blanket pulled over his shoulders and a few strands of hair lying over his face. The crime lord watched him for a bit, enjoying the serene look upon his face. It was an hour before dawn, the sun having yet to even light up the horizon with its glow. Seemingly without reason, Kurama twitched and his eyes opened, almost as if an alarm had gone off. He looked around drowsily for a bit before noticing Hiei.

"Hiei…" Still grinning, Hiei stood and stretched again.

"Go back to sleep, red. You shouldn't be up. The sun's not even up yet." The teen shook his head and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"My internal alarm clock went off. I always get up at five." Hiei glanced at the clock and raised an eyebrow, since it did indeed read five o' clock. Exactly.

"Early riser I take it." Kurama nodded and sat up, stretching a bit. The crime lord grinned as the teen's shirt lifted a bit, giving him a rather pleasurable view of his pale stomach. The redhead caught the look and quickly lowered his arms, narrowing his eyes a bit. Hiei pretended not to see and headed for his dresser.

"I'll try and find you some clean clothes. Bathroom's over there if you need it."

"I think I'll take a shower, actually."

"Be my guest." As the bathroom door clicked shut and locked, Hiei began sorting through various clothes. Most of his clothes were way too small for Kurama, but there were a few that could fit him.

_Hm…he'd look good in red, but green would do him way more justice…what the Hell am I doing? Why the Hell am I worrying about what he would look good in? He'd look good in just about anything! Grab something and quite being such a fashion slut!_ Even with this thought in mind, the crime lord still took his time finding something that would suit the redhead. While he was searching and pondering why he cared so much, Kurama was having to deal with his own thoughts.

_I really ought to be thinking of a way to get home. Mother's probably worried sick about me, and Yusuke and Kuwabara are most likely ready to tear the town apart. But…if I asked Hiei, would he let me go?_ Sighing, the teen slipped out of his clothes and folded them neatly, leaving them on the counter. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water, flinching a bit as the scalding water stung his skin. Quickly turning it down, the redhead let his eyes close as the heat diminished until it was balanced between a gentle warmth and a refreshing cool. Kurama stood there for a bit, letting the liquid moisten his hair and slide down his skin. His mind began to calm down and thoughts that had been worrying him were pushed to the back of his mind.

_He's not so bad, really. A little perverted, but he does care about my health._ Gathering a bit of shampoo in his hands, Kurama rubbed it into his hair. Flecks of dirt were shaken loose and then rinsed out, sliding down streams of crimson and falling to the floor of the shower, where they were washed down the drain to never be seen again. The redhead rinsed the suds from his hair and watched as the clumps of bubbles ran down his flesh and hair. He used his hands to get the rest of the shampoo out of his hair, running his fingers through the silky strands.

_I hope mother's all right._ Sighing, Kurama finished washing himself and stepped out, drawing a towel around him. It was only then that he realized if Hiei was choosing his clothes, he would have to walk out in nothing but a towel.

…_Oh damn it._ Outside, Hiei realized roughly the same thing about the time he decided on clothes for the redhead. Now he was left with the decision to make the boy come out and get them, wearing nothing but a towel, or hand them to him through the door.

_I don't think he'd be too happy about coming out to get them. Then again, he's not too bad of a looker…_ His thoughts were halted when the bathroom door opened and Kurama, still dripping wet and a bit red in the face, stepped out. He was indeed wearing nothing but a towel, giving Hiei an excellent view of his stomach, chest, and legs.

…_Holy…_

"Ahem." Dragging his eyes up, Hiei forced himself to look at the redhead's face. Emerald eyes glanced around nervously and Kurama brought his arms up around himself as a form of protection.

"You said you would find me some clothes and I…" Hiei snapped himself from his thoughts and picked up the clothes he had chosen, bringing them over to the teen. He could feel the heat of embarrassment radiating off the boy and grinned a bit.

"Here. Hopefully they'll fit." Kurama nodded and took them, holding them close to his chest. Before he could disappear back into the bathroom, Hiei snatched a bit of his hair and rubbed it with his fingers.

"You may want to dry your hair a bit more first." It was an excuse to make Kurama blush, and it worked. His face turned an even brighter red that almost matched his hair.

"R-right…I…" Hiei smirked a bit and released him, watching as he scurried back into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He rubbed his fingers together again, remembering the soft, silky feel of the strands between the two digits.

_I really have picked up a beauty. I'm almost glad I didn't get paid in money._ His smile disappeared as he began thinking about it from a different point of view. In other words, the smart and good part of his brain had woken up.

_Shame on you! Making that boy all flustered and thinking such shameful thoughts!_

_It's too early in the morning for you to be up._

_He's a human being! Not a toy for you to keep and play with! He can't stay here forever!_

_His stepfather didn't pay. I need something to cover my losses. He'll do just fine._

_You have to let him go._

_And what about all the other people we've taken? How come you've never risen to their defense?_ This shut his good side up pretty quickly. Smirking in triumph, Hiei changed himself and got ready for breakfast. A few minutes later, Kurama came out wearing the clothes Hiei had picked out for him. His hair was dry, making Hiei grin even more. The grin disappeared when he saw just how _good _Kurama looked in the clothes. He wore an emerald green tunic with see-through sleeves and black trim along the neck. A black sash was tied around his waist, bringing one's eyes to note how curved his hips were. Underneath the tunic he wore black slacks that just covered his ankles and soft black shoes. There was silence for a while as Hiei just stared. Kurama fidgeted and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Do I…look strange?" Snapping out of his trance, Hiei shoved away improper thoughts and grinned.

"Not at all. You look fine. Care for some breakfast?" Kurama nodded eagerly and the two set out for the dining hall. As they headed down, Hiei began wondering why he cared so much about the boy…again.

_I don't owe him anything. He's just here because his stepfather couldn't pay. I've never cared so much about anyone. I should just sell him off in the black market and make a bit of cash. That's what I've done with all the others. What makes him so different? What?_

"Uh…Hiei?"

"What?" Immediately after saying this, Hiei ran straight into a wall. He grabbed his nose and swore quietly under his hand while glaring angrily at the offending wall. Behind him, Kurama felt his lips pull into an amused grin.

"I tried to warn you about the wall." Hiei glared at him and continued to swear as they walked to the kitchen.

"It's your fault."

"Oh? How so? I don't recall pushing you into the wall." Hiei wheeled around to retort, but shut his mouth as he thought about it. What was he supposed to say? 'It's your fault because thinking about you distracted me'? _That_ would certainly bring on an interesting discussion. Kurama would probably interrogate him then and there, in the middle of the hallway, which his subordinates would undoubtedly witness.

"…Never mind. Let's just get something to eat." The two continued to the kitchen, Kurama attempting to annoy information out of Hiei and Hiei attempting to keep his big mouth shut. Watching them were Toguro and Karasu, the former of whom was grinning.

"Point to Kurama. That's two to zero by now." Karasu merely snorted in response. His eyes were fixed on the redhead, yet his anger was directed at the crime lord next to him.

"Hmph."

"In a bad mood?" Hissing a bit, Karasu moved to follow the two. Toguro intercepted.

"Oh no you don't. _We're _leaving them alone." And so Karasu was carried off to god knows where, grumbling like a child denied his cookie. Back where the interesting stuff was happening, Hiei and Kurama had reached the kitchen and Hiei was rubbing his nose to make sure it wasn't broken while Kurama watched from atop a counter.

"I don't think you hit it that hard."

"Better safe than sorry. Apple?"

"Please." The raven-haired male tossed him the round fruit before selecting one for himself. As they ate, the two observed each other. It was extremely quiet, seeing as how the cooks had yet to rise. Kurama took in Hiei's appearance, just now noticing how the crime lord, while short in stature, was very much not lacking anything in the muscle department. His broad shoulders and chest absolutely screamed raw power, but the muscles were contained in a small, lean form built for speed and dexterity. His black tank top did absolutely nothing to hide his chiseled abs from view. Hiei, meanwhile, was observing Kurama's assets. Flexibility, dexterous, fast, beautiful and sharp as a blade. All in all, Kurama was someone people would kill to be.

_Or kill to be with._ "So." The teen cocked his head and gave Hiei an innocent and naïve look.

"So?" Hiei stared at him for several seconds, unsure of what to say. He felt more than a little stupid. He had started a conversation, but had nothing to talk about. Luckily, Kurama seemed to have something to say.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Fire away." The redhead dropped his apple core into the trashcan and looked down at his hands, face turning a bit red.

"I was hoping…I was hoping I could go home." Hiei felt his body tense up and all emotion left his eyes. Kurama glanced at him briefly, but quickly looked away. He couldn't meet those eyes. Tossing away his own apple core, Hiei began to head for the garden behind the kitchen.

"No." Slipping off the counter, Kurama followed the crime lord.

"But why not? I'm not even that valuable! If it's money you're after I could-"

"Could what? Pay me back?" Kurama's voice died in his throat as Hiei glared at him.

"Do you even know how much your step-father borrowed from me? Do you know how long it would take to return that money to me? Do you?" Looking down at his feet, Kurama shook his head. He could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes, from both sadness and anger.

"Shaking your head's not an answer." Setting his face in a cold mask, Kurama lifted his head and leveled Hiei's stare with one of his own.

"No. No I don't." Hiei held his gaze for a bit longer before turning back to the garden.

"You're more valuable than you think."

"So what, I'm just going to be your little doll to dress up and do with as you please?" For the second time Hiei stopped and looked back at the redhead. It was a tempting idea, but Kurama had so many more uses than that.

"I have other plans for you."

"Well goody for me." Turning, Kurama left the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Hiei sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

_One step forward, two steps back. Damn, I just can't catch up to him!_ Growling a bit in frustration, Hiei hurried after the redhead. He flung the door open and caught sight of the teen halfway down the hall.

_Damn, he's pretty fast._ "Kurama wait!" Kurama didn't, instead going a bit faster. The crime lord swore under his breath and broke into a flat-out run. Kurama, not wanting to talk to him, began to run as well. Hiei growled and began to use the speed he was known for. He almost caught up to the redhead when Kurama suddenly stopped and pressed himself against the wall, letting Hiei skid right by him. The crime lord snarled and aimed a kick for his head. It…was easily blocked.

_Uh-oh._ Grabbing Hiei's ankle, Kurama lifted him off the ground and flung him down the hall where he crashed into the wall.

"Ow! All right that's it!" And so the two began a fight that would have been considered rather epic. However, they were enclosed in a rather narrow hallway with plants and tables. This did not bode well for either of them. After roughly half an hour, they stopped and glared at each other from either side of the hall. Between them lay shattered pots, broken tables, smashed mirrors and one very abused rug. Brushing a bit of dirt off of his shoulder, Hiei glared at the redhead.

"Are you ready to actually _listen_ to me now?"

"Listen to you say what? How I'm stuck here for the rest of my life because of something I had nothing do with? How I'm never going to see my mother again? Or my friends? How I'm nothing more than your slave?" By now, angry tears were running down Kurama's face. Hiei's glare softened and he moved forward to comfort the teen, but stopped and let his arm fall to his side. Kurama continued, his shoulders shaking and fists clenched at his sides.

"What exactly am I supposed to listen to? I already know everything you're going to say! This is where I'll be for the rest of my life! Or better yet, screw my old life completely! Hell lets start from scratch! This is my new life! Maybe I should just forget everyone I ever cared about! Would that be better?!" Looking down, Hiei felt his chest tighten as he whispered quietly.

"Yeah. Maybe that would be best." Kurama suddenly burst into tears and turned, running away. He reached a door to the outside and flung it open, running out into the cloudy morning. Hiei stared down at the ground, body shaking in anger.

_I'm such and idiot._

_Won't disagree with you there._

_Shut up you._

End Chapter Three

A/N: Fuck. Sorry guys, I've hit this mental block and I'm having a hard time thinking. Promise the fourth chapter will be better. head/desk Gah!


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, you can shoot me. But before you do, let me pitifully attempt to explain myself:

I have actually been trying to write this story ever since the last chapter. I wrote about three drafts before screaming angrily, deleting them all and going to kill things on World of Warcraft. And it's not writer's block this time. Its actually misdirected creativity. A story I've yet to type up and math (yes, math, algebra specifically. I love doing math, it makes me happy) has been stealing all my creativity and successfully brainwashing me. The story I've yet to type is now into it's third notebook and is over a hundred and thirty pages long. If you don't believe me, PM a girl named Skyriia and ask her about it. She will vouch for me because she has read it. (Er…most of it anyway)

Anyway, that's why I haven't updated. Along with my mind being stolen, I've had to juggle two projects, a bunch of language arts stuff, role-playing with my friend over AIM (because she can only get on two nights a week), staggering under the weight of drama in my group of friends, math stuff, eating, sleeping, and then I have to shove family time into all of this. So there's my reasoning.

But none of you actually care about this, just about the story. So I will answer my wonderful reviewers and get on to what you actually clicked on the link to see.

**neko1kitty:** Thanks for reviewing. Sorry for not updating sooner and I'm glad you like it.

**Miki-chan:**Aw, thank you. And I'm actually surprised there have been so many reviewers. I'm glad you love it and sorry for updating so late.

**Amethyst Tiger Tears:** Ah, thank you for pointing that out. Now that I look back, they do seem to be bonding a bit too quickly. Thank you for the helpful criticism.

**Kurochan:** grin Yup. But don't worry. He'll get it out some time. Thanks for reviewing.

And here we go. (Wow, four reviews.)

Chapter Four

Kurama shoved open the front door and stumbled out, catching himself just before he fell headfirst onto the ground. Drawing in a shaking breath, he lifted his head and looked down the neat, smooth driveway to the towering iron gate that stood between him and possibly acres of forested landscape. Sniffling, Kurama rubbed his eyes to get rid of the tears.

_This is stupid. I have no idea where I am or even how long I was knocked out. I could be on another island entirely. This is just not fair._

Rubbing his eyes again, the redhead turned and began to wander around the grounds.

_I may as well map out my new home._

This thought made him sigh as he wandered into a small garden. Tears began collecting his eyes as he knelt to finger a soft, yellow tulip.

_Mom's favorite…_

"Something troubling you, mademoiselle?" Kurama leapt up in surprise, almost tripping over backwards. A strong hand reached and caught him and pulled him forward, making sure he didn't fall. He looked up and blinked in surprise at a familiar face.

"You!" The young man smiled and let his hand loosen slightly. Kurama wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Standing in front of him was a well-known crime lord, Valdez Sakyo. He had seen him on TV before, when the police were trying to arrest him for the murder of twenty-three people. The young man smiled an almost all-knowing smile and his eyes seemed to be stripping off Kurama's clothes, staring straight into the core of his soul. The redhead had the sudden urge to cover himself somehow. Sakyo continued smiling and reached up, touching his face gently.

"Ah, my apologies. You're not a female, just simply beautiful." Kurama swallowed hard, unsure whether he wanted to blush or run away in terror. Sakyo chuckled at his expression and released his arm.

"Apologies again. There is nothing simple or 'just' about your beauty." This time Kurama really did blush. He tore his gaze away and looked down, unsure what to say. Sakyo continued to watch him, still wearing that 'I know everything about you' gaze.

"But where are my manners? I am Valdez Sakyo." He bowed and smiled and Kurama again.

"And may I have your name?" The redhead tried to find his tongue and speak, which only made Sakyo smirk even more.

"If you don't give me your name, I shall have to resort to calling you tenshi-chan." Blushing faintly, Kurama managed to speak.

"K-Kurama." His hand was suddenly taken from his side and Sakyo pressed his lips to the knuckles, giving him an almost predatory look over his skin.

"The honor and pleasure is all mine, Kurama-san." He straightened up, still smiling that damn smile.

"Tell me, Kurama-san, would you stoop low enough to accompany me for a bit?" Almost in a daze, one that was confused and severely terrified, Kurama nodded and slipped his arms around the one that Sakyo offered him. They began walking through the gardens, Sakyo looking at the wildlife and smiling.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yes…"

"What's your favorite flower?" Kurama glanced around and spotted the very bloom on his mind.

"Roses." Sakyo followed his gaze and smiled, reaching over to pluck a fresh bloom from the bush. Somehow, the redhead had no idea how, he managed to get one that had no thorns. He tucked it behind Kurama's hair, the bloom standing out a bit against his skin.

"You do the rose justice." Again Kurama felt himself blushing and looked away. They continued walking, Sakyo striking up conversation.

"I don't believe I've seen you around here before. One of his new boys I suppose? Or…" Kurama shook his head quickly.

"N-no, I'm not one of his, I'm just…" There was silence for a bit as they continued along the path, Kurama searching for the right words and Sakyo patiently waiting for him to continue. The redhead sighed and looked at the ground.

"Payment." Sakyo actually dropped his smirk and frowned slightly.

"You borrowed money from Hiei?"

"No, my step-father did. When he didn't pay, Hiei…" Sakyo made an irritated sound.

"Your step-father could not have owed Hiei _that_ much."

"I couldn't tell you." The crime lord sighed and then regarded Kurama with a serious look and then turned back to look at the path.

"What does he intend to use you for? Not slave trade." At this Kurama's head snapped up and he stared at Sakyo with fear. The man noticed the look and smiled kindly at him.

"Don't worry, I won't allow it. And even if he does sell you, I'll be sure you come to live with me." Somehow, that wasn't all too comforting. Sakyo suddenly got a thoughtful look on his face.

"Actually, now I'm starting to hope he'll sell you." That wasn't too comforting either. He wondered vaguely where they were now and looked around, noticing tall trees surrounded them. Sakyo noticed his look and chuckled.

"We're still in Hiei's territory, just in the woods. Would you like to walk a bit more or head back?" Kurama flinched as he remembered why he had been outside in the first place.

"I don't think going back right now would be good for me." The handsome crime lord raised a curious eyebrow.

"Oh? And why not?" It only took Kurama half an hour to explain all that had happened since he had gotten here. Sakyo waited until he was finished before bursting into laughter. It was so sudden that Kurama jumped slightly and stared up at him.

"Valdez-san?" The man finally calmed down, but the amused smile remained on his lips.

"Ah, I don't believe anyone has been able to put Hiei in his place like that. Kurama-san, you are truly a magnificent person." Kurama blushed again and tried not to look too pathetic. Sakyo chuckled and tilted his head up so he was looking straight ahead.

"Looking down is not good for your posture and if you're going to come to my ball tonight, you'll need to look your best." Kurama's head snapped up, eyes wide with surprise. Sakyo chuckled and closed his mouth, which had been hanging open.

"I would be honored if you would come to my ball this evening. It would be wonderful for a new face to brighten up the group of rich and lazy idiots." Hundreds of thoughts were running through Kurama's head and he somehow managed to put a few of them into words.

"But I've never been to any sort of formal occasion! And after my fight with Hiei I doubt I'll be allowed to go within five meters of the gate! And I don't even have anything to wear!" Sakyo laughed, silencing Kurama rather effectively.

"Your pretty head was not meant for worrying, my dear. Let me handle Hiei. I've been able to talk him into anything since before he became a crime lord. As for your lack of experience, you'll be fine. I can tell by just talking to you that you'll become an instant favorite with all that you come across. And as for what to wear, never fear. I know for a fact Hiei has several clothes he barely even looks at anymore, and there must be something in there that will not take away from your beauty." The redhead blushed again. He had never been complimented so much in such a short amount of time in his life. They began heading back to the mansion, Kurama trying to talk Sakyo out of this and the crime lord laughing it off.

"Valdez-san, please-"

"Call me Sakyo." Kurama huffed a bit in irritation.

"_Sakyo_-san, please reconsider. I'm not cut out for extremely formal occasions." The crime lord raised a curious eyebrow.

"You weren't?"

"No."

"I'm not sure if I understand this. Allow me straighten my thoughts?" Kurama huffed again, but fell silent.

"You are well spoken, especially for your age, very neat and clean, it doesn't sound as though you've ever done drugs or alcohol, nor have you ever gotten into trouble. What's more is you are polite, courteous and articulate, even when insulting someone as you did when explaining what had happened between you and Hiei. On top of all this, you are very beautiful and graceful, attributes well respected in high society where formal occasions occur. Yet you do not believe you are 'cut out' for formal occasions?" Kurama shook his head.

"…Then what _are_ you cut out for?" Kurama shrugged slightly. He had never really thought about what he was cut out to do, but formal occasions didn't seem to be it. Sakyo set a determined look on his face.

"Well, whether you believe it or not, _I_ believe you are cut out for such formal occasions and as such, my invitation to you still stands and you will accept it."

"I will?" Sakyo suddenly gave him a rather smug look.

"It would be rude not to." Kurama just stared at him. He suddenly knew why people often cursed their morals, for he was doing the exact same thing right now. He couldn't bring himself to be rude and decline the invitation. Ergo, he had to go, whether he wanted to or not. And he didn't. The prospect of being surrounded by a bunch of crime lords, wearing something Sakyo was most likely going to pick out for him, was not nearly as appealing as some might think. They were quiet the rest of the way to the mansion, which actually wasn't very far. They had just made it back into the garden when Hiei rounded the corner, stopping dead when he saw them. He looked surprised, then angry as he glared at Sakyo.

"What did you do to him?" Sakyo gave a mock innocent look, even cocking his head slightly.

"What ever do you mean?" Kurama narrowed his eyes at the crime lord.

"He's done nothing to me. We _were_ merely enjoying a quiet walk together and having an intelligent conversation. There's no need to get so possessive." Hiei glared at the redhead slightly.

"I'm not being possessive."

"Then what were you being?" Hiei opened his mouth to reply, then shut it and growled.

"Concerned for your health." Kurama leveled him with an icy look, one that had made others shiver and back away slowly, afraid of painful slow death. Hiei didn't flinch.

"My health is none of your concern, nor is there anything wrong with it."

"Maybe not your physical health." The redhead's eyes twitched, but he hid it quite well.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ you're a crazy psycho." Before this could erupt into an all out war, Sakyo cleared his throat and then jumped slightly as two pair of angry, glaring eyes turned on him.

"Ah…" He coughed to try and cover up his surprise, praying he didn't get caught in the middle of this.

"Hiei, I hope you remembered my invitation." The crime lord grumbled and nodded.

"Yes, I remember your damn invitation and I'll be at your damn party."

"With Kurama-san."

"With Kura-wait what?" Sakyo gave one of his smug smiles.

"I invited Kurama-san to my party as well, and he accepted. Since you two live in the same mansion, I'm assuming you will come together." Hiei stared at him, jaw hanging open slightly. Even Kurama looked a bit shocked. There was quiet for a few seconds and then Sakyo subtly removed his arm from Kurama's grasp before it was ripped off.

"It's decided then. Hiei, I will stop by in exactly two hours to make sure you and Kurama-san have proper attire. Try not to kill each other until then." He kissed Kurama's hand, nodded to Hiei, and quickly exited the garden before either one could think enough to kill him. After a few minutes of the two just standing there, staring at each other, Hiei finally snapped out of it first.

"If that slimy git thinks he's going to get away with using you as his new arm candy he-"

"Excuse me?" Hiei blinked and looked over at Kurama, whom was glaring at him. The redhead crossed his arms over his chest and glared icily at the crime lord.

"I don't need you to defend me, nor do I need you to jump to conclusions. Sakyo was not using me as 'arm candy' nor is he going to." Hiei narrowed his eyes, feeling a growl rise in his throat.

"I'm trying to keep you from being used like a new toy."

"I can take care of myself."

"You don't know who you're dealing with!" Turning his back on Hiei, Kurama snorted and began to head towards the mansion.

"I'll find out on my own." Hiei stared after him for a few seconds before running to catch up. He grabbed Kurama's shoulder and spun him around so he could face him.

"Listen you-"

"I've already heard what you have to say to me." Hiei grabbed Kurama's wrist hard, nearly bruising the skin. He snarled, scarlet eyes flashing.

"Damn it will you just shut the hell up and listen to me!" The redhead winced as the hand on his wrist tightened. He looked down at the ground, not willing to meet the red eyes. Hiei hissed, grip tightening even more.

"Look at me, damn you!" Kurama raised his head, eyes sad and somewhat afraid. Hiei's glare softened slightly, but he refused to relax his grip.

"You have no idea what kind of sick bastard Sakyo can be. I don't want him to do to you what he's done to a lot of others." Kurama let his eyes drop again.

"Why do you even care." Hiei snarled and his grip tightened some. His voice lowered to a low hiss.

"I didn't take you from your family because I like fucking up people's lives. Well, actually, I kind of do…" Kurama gave him a weird look.

"Psycho."

"Shut up. Anyway, the point is, I'm not going to let anything happen to you while your under my protection."

"So I'm your property."

"Yes. Wait, no!" Hiei realized his 'no' was about a second too late. Kurama's eyes turned furious and he slapped Hiei as hard as he possibly could. This made Hiei release his grip on Kurama and when he was finally able to see straight again, a hand grabbed the front of Hiei's shirt and he found himself looking into the most dangerous eyes he had ever seen. The voice that spoke didn't seem to be Kurama's. It was like some demon had possessed him.

"Listen up, _brat._ We're not _anyone's_ property, _especially_ not some arrogant, thickheaded, selfish wannabe loser like you! So if you ever even _think_ that you own Kurama, or me, be sure that you won't live to see your next birthday! Got that!" Severely surprised, Hiei nodded and the redhead dropped him to the ground roughly before giving him a rather cold look and turning back to the mansion. It took a few seconds for the words to sink in.

_Wait, 'we'? Holy shit, he is a__ crazy psycho!_

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama winced and clutched his head as he stumbled into his (Hiei's) room. He frowned in confusion and looked around.

"Huh? When did I get here? The last thing I remember was…" A stab of anger went through his heart, turning his eyes venomous. Turning, he locked the door for extra measure and went to go take a shower or something. _Then_ he remembered where he was supposed to go. And who he was supposed to go with.

_There is _no way_ I'm going _anywhere_ with that bastard! Oh, wait…_

Anger was quickly replaced with nervousness and embarrassment. He was supposed to go to a _ball_. And not just any ball, he was supposed to go to a ball hosted by _Valdez Sakyo_, possibly _the biggest_ crime lord in all of Japan. And then they were probably a couple hundred factors that all made it that much more worse. Like how Sakyo was obviously interested, and would be deciding how he would look. And then he had to go with Hiei, and would probably have to pretend there was nothing wrong between the two of them.

_Oh damn my morals! If I had just said no to him…oh who am I kidding? There's no way I could ever say no to him. I would do anything he asked out of pure fear. Hiei too if he looked at me the right way._

Kurama made a face as he realized just how corny and/or wrong that sounded if taken out of context. Shaking his head, he sighed and retrieved a towel before heading into the bathroom. He winced as his head began to hurt and chucked that onto the 'List of Things That Will Make Tonight a Living Hell', or The List. He rubbed his temples as he started the water, stripping his clothes off and stepping into the water. As the water ran over him, he vaguely wondered if Hiei knew how to pick the lock on his own door. Shrugging, the redhead quickly washed himself and tried to relax his tense muscles. When bored, his mind would go off on its own. Now it was supplying him with images of what Sakyo would do if Kurama wasn't relaxed to his liking. Kurama shivered at the thought and washed quicker, making sure all of the conditioner was out of his hair before wrapping the towel around his chest and stepping out. The question of whether or not Hiei could break into his own room came back. And the answer was, apparently, yes. The bathroom door suddenly opened and Hiei, mouth open as if he was about to say something, stepped in quickly. His eyes widened and his mouth just hung open as he saw Kurama, barely covered by the towel and dripping wet, standing in the middle of the bathroom. Silence rang between them both for what seemed like eternity (about seventeen seconds) before Kurama's face went nearly the same shade as his hair and he pulled his arms protectively around himself.

"Get out!" Hiei blushed a deep red.

"I-I'm s-sorry!"

"Don't be sorry, _just get out_!" The crime lord quickly closed the door and leaned against it, face still red. His mind howled in laughter at the look on his face. Hiei coughed and then clutched a hand to his nose as it began to bleed.

_Oh my god I had no idea he was so…so…oh wow…_

Inside the bathroom, Kurama was leaning against the door as well, red blush covering his face, but for a different reason. _His_ blush was from sheer embarrassment.

_Oh no, what do I do now?_

The redhead took a deep breath before quickly drying off and dressing. As he began to run a comb through his hair, he happened to glance at himself in the mirror and gasped, dropping the comb. Looking back at him with a knowing look were malicious, golden eyes.

_Hey Kurama._

"Oh my god…Yoko…"

End of Chapter Four

Hey, it's the introduction of Yoko! …Yeah, I'm gonna drop you there. But hey, on the bright side, maybe my hate for cliffhangers will bug me into writing the next chapter. Eh, one can only hope. Okay, read, drop a review, please don't strangle me, and I'll get to the next chapter as soon as my brain permits me.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: …Yeah, I've got nothing to say. Other than my fanfiction (which isn't posted here yet) is reaching its _fourth_ notebook and has officially killed its fourth pen. Luckily, I have a super-sweet and nice friend who's going to buy me new supplies. Luffles shadowcat to death Yay!

**Everqueen:** Heh. Glad you liked it enough to read it immediately. Thanks for the review and I'll try to update faster.

**DemonUntilDeath:** Ooh, I've interested someone. Always a good thing for me. I'm glad you like it and thanks for reviewing.

**sielge:** Yeah, I hope I start updating sooner too. Thanks for the review.

**meep:** I'm writing, I'm writing!

**Mae Rose:** Heh. Glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing.

**Chapter Five**

Kurama tried to step away from the mirror, but something in him kept him frozen. His reflection smirked and turned to face him fully.

_What's wrong? You don't look too happy to see me._

"I-I thought…the medicine…" The silver-haired kitsune chuckled.

_You mean the medicine you haven't taken in the last, oh…gosh, it's been almost over forty-eight hours, hasn't it?_

"Yoko, you promised me you wouldn't-" Yoko was suddenly out of the mirror, standing in front of Kurama. His golden eyes burned in fury as he loomed over the redhead.

_I promised I wouldn't kill anyone. I never promised I would sleep forever, and I don't intend to._

"Why? Your favorite thing is to hurt people and if you can't do that then there's really no-"

_There's him._

There was no doubt in Kurama's mind who Yoko meant. He looked nervously at the bathroom door, silently praying Hiei wasn't listening in. He jumped as someone touched his face and brought his eyes to meet Yoko's.

"H-how can you touch me?" The bandit smirked a bit and let his hand drop.

_I'm real to you, remember? You can see me, feel me, hear me, hell if you wanted to, you could even smell me and taste me._

"I-I don't…" The hand returned to his face, gently cradling it.

_I won't let him hurt you, Kurama._

The last time Yoko had said that, someone had died. Kurama pushed away from him, clutching his head.

"No, Yoko, please. He won't hurt me…" Yoko hissed, stepping closer. Swallowing nervously, Kurama backed away quickly and soon found himself with his back against the door. The silver bandit loomed over him, eyes angry.

_He sees you as nothing more than his property! You heard him!_

"He said no!"

_He didn't mean it! You're nothing more than property to him!_

"No, I'm not!"

"Kurama?" The redhead froze and forced his weight against the door as Hiei knocked on it.

"Y-yes?"

"Are you all right? You sound upset and-"

"I'm fine! I'll…be out in a bit!"

"…Fine. When you do come out, I want to talk to you."

"K-kay." Yoko snorted, eyes hardening.

_That bastard._

"Yoko!" Mentally hitting himself, Kurama pushed away from the door and circled around the angry bandit to the back of the bathroom, keeping his voice low.

"Don't hurt Hiei. I have no idea what could happen if he turns up dead. He may have connections, people may come after us. And on top of that, I don't even want to think about what his subordinates will do to us if they find out their boss is dead and we're up for grabs." The kitsune looked unimpressed.

_So? I'll just kill everyone._

"Yoko! You promised!" Yoko's ears flattened against his head and he crossed his arms over his chest, looking very much like a child denied his cookie.

_It'd be easier._

"You promised me you wouldn't-"

_And I won't, don't worry. It just bugs me._

Sighing, Kurama ran a hand through his hair and picked the brush he had dropped on the floor up.

"I know. But right now, killing people wouldn't be good."

_I'm still coming out if you get in trouble._

Kurama didn't respond, instead opting for just brushing his hair out. Once he deemed he looked presentable, he gave Yoko one last look before stepping out into Hiei's bedroom. The crime lord was sitting on the couch in his room, head propped up with one hand and a very brooding expression on his face. Kurama silently closed the door behind him and cleared his throat a bit. Hiei's eyes snapped up, locking onto Kurama's face in an instant. He stood and advanced on the boy, eyes still trying to soften from their hard expression.

"Explain." The redhead swallowed nervously, trying to call forth some of the courage he'd had earlier.

"E-explain what?" Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I'm not in the mood for games. Explain now."

"I-I…" Sighing, Kurama looked down at his feet.

"I have multiple personality disorder." Hiei sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Great."

"And a slight case of schizophrenia." The crime lord's head snapped up from looking at the ground, eyes wide.

"You're a schizo?!"

"Well, I had medicine…"

"What do you mean _had_?" Kurama gave him a slightly irritated look.

"I _had_ it at _home_ but seeing as how I was taken rather quickly and against my will, I didn't exactly have time to pack it." Hiei winced as he realized just how stupid his question sounded.

"Right, sorry, that was dumb."

"A little." After sending the redhead a small glare, Hiei went to pacing.

"Did it just now wear off?"

"Well, I'm supposed to take if every twenty-four hours and the last time I took it was…six PM the day you took me. What time is it now?" Hiei glanced over at the clock by his bed.

"Two-thirty or so."

"It wore off about twenty and a half hours ago, give or take."

"And you just now remembered it because…?"

"Well, mainly because I'm guessing Yoko cussed you out or something similar and then brought me up here-"

"Wait, who's Yoko?" Kurama sighed and sat down on the couch, knowing this could very well take a while to explain.

"He's my alternate personality. He comes out occasionally, like when I'm being threatened, or I'm angry." The crime lord began pacing again, face drawn into a frown as he thought.

"How long have you been on medication?"

"Ah…a year or so." He was given a funny look and Kurama frowned slightly at him.

"What?"

"How long have you known about him?"

"Look, he wasn't causing that much trouble before. It was just when we found out…he…" Hiei raised a curious eyebrow.

"He what?" Suddenly nervous, Kurama shifted and smoothed out his tunic some.

"Well, we hadn't _thought_ he'd been causing trouble…then we found out he was…um…killing people…" This made Hiei's eye twitch. The thought that this beautiful, polite, well-spoken _angel_, could have a sadistic alternate personality that _killed _people was wrong and at the same time, kind of a turn-on.

_NO! Do _not_ think about that Hiei! Do not!_

"Killing…killing people…" Kurama nodded and Hiei felt his eye twitch again.

_This is…this is so wrong…_

"Kurama…" The redhead looked up, curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes?"

"Is there…" Hiei swallowed and put on his most serious face.

"Is there any way to suppress Yoko?" The mood of the room sharply became coldly serious. Emotion fading from his eyes, Kurama nodded slowly.

"There's medicine…but you can only get it from the hospital. And I can't guarantee it'll work." The crime lord raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It worked before, did it not?"

"It did…but only because Yoko was compliant." There was a minute or two of silence before Kurama realized Hiei was waiting for him to elaborate.

"Sometimes, personalities can be stronger or more developed than others. Yoko is a very developed personality. I usually let him out…let him take control once or twice a week so he could wander around. We kept colored contacts and hair dye so he could disguise himself to differentiate himself from me. When I started on the medicine, he was compliant and…went to sleep essentially. However, he may not be now."

"Why." Kurama lifted his head, leveling Hiei with 'a look'.

"Because I'm in more danger than I was when I started taking the medicine." The crime lord said nothing, just nodded. He turned and began pacing again, this time a bit slower.

"Is there anyway to control him?"

"Not if he thinks I'm in danger. Once he takes control, chances are I won't be able to get it back until he goes back to sleep."

"So you're a ticking time bomb." Wincing a bit at the metaphor, Kurama nodded. Hiei continued pacing, face drawn into a frown as he thought. He finally stopped and sighed, rubbing his temples.

"We need to get your medicine." Kurama perked up at the thought. His medicine was at home, and only he knew where it was. That meant he would get to go home, even if it was only for a little bit. He knew his excitement shone in his eyes and he knew Hiei could see it. The crime lord regarded him carefully before speaking.

"You'll have to go, since I don't know where to look. But you have to promise me something." Kurama nodded quickly.

"Anything."

"You're going to have to be blindfolded on the way there. Do you know why?" The redhead nodded, excitement not diminishing.

"Good. When we get there, you can get your medicine and anything else you want or need. You can even spend some time there. But you have to promise me you won't try to run away or call anyone. Understood?" Again, Kurama nodded. Hiei regarded him for a few more seconds before nodding.

"Right. We'll go tomorrow. Tonight…" He suddenly scowled at the wall.

"We have to go to Sakyo's ball." As if on cue, Sakyo stepped into the room.

"Don't say it with such malice, Hiei-kun. You might hurt my feelings." Hiei just kept on glaring.

"I _hate_ social events." Sakyo chuckled and smiled a bit.

"Ah, you may, but I'm sure Kurama-chan doesn't mind them too much. Right Kurama-chan?" Still perky from the news of his going home, even under the circumstances, the redhead beamed and nodded. Hiei glowered at them.

"I hate you both."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Sakyo sifted through the clothes he had brought, looking for something suitable for Kurama. Hiei's clothes had already been found since the older crime lord refused to let his friend choose his own clothes.

_Now, what would look really good on Kurama? Not red…definitely not purple…_

He wrinkled his nose at a particular article of clothing, tossing it over his shoulder.

"Too frilly." He pulled out a mass of black and lace and made a face before letting it join the frilly thing.

"Too gothic…too sparkly…too cheap…too gaudy…too red…too pink…to see-through…too revealing…too conservative…NO…" Kurama watched as the pile on the floor grew bigger and bigger as more clothes were added to it.

"Sakyo-san…is this really necessary?"

"Too white-yes, it's absolutely crucial. First impressions are-too animalistic-very powerful and what you're wearing and how it-too yellow-looks on you is important." Shrugging, the redhead accepted the answer and continued to watch. Finally, Sakyo made a triumphant noise and pulled out something green and silky. Kurama blinked as it was thrust into his arms with a certain amount of gusto.

"Try this on." Obediently, the teen stood and headed to the bathroom to change. He spent a minute or two figuring out the article clothing before stripping off his clothes and pulling it on. It fit rather snugly over his hips and waist, accenting their curves. The silk sleeves were loose and hung over his hands a bit, the pants loose around his ankles so they made his feet seem smaller. Admiring himself in the mirror, Kurama hummed to himself.

_Well, at least he has good taste._

Yoko appeared in his place in the mirror, looking very strange in the outfit. The bandit made a face, moving as Kurama did.

_We look like arm candy._

Kurama smiled a bit and stretched a bit, getting a feel for the fabric.

"Perhaps, but we've always looked like arm candy."

_True…_

"You're just not comfortable with me going to the ball." Yoko made another face and appeared beside Kurama, crossing his arms over his chest.

_I don't like the idea of you going to a place we don't know the layout of, nor do we know any of the people._

"We know Sakyo-san and Hiei." The bandit scowled.

_Oh yes, that's a _huge_ help._

Kurama snorted and smoothed out the fabric before nodding in satisfaction.

"Oh suck it up. It'll be fine."

_…You actually want to go, don't you._

Kurama gave his alternate personality a sly look.

"Maybe a little." Yoko shook his head as the redhead opened the door and stepped out. Sakyo had been looking through more clothes, but when he spotted Kurama he froze completely. Smiling a bit, the teen held out his arms slightly.

"Well? How do I look?" The crime lord was silent for several seconds before speaking, eyes never leaving the other male.

"I'm…sorry, I'm just trying to find the right words to express my thoughts on how you look. I think…I think I may use the phrase 'Oh God, thank you for letting me gaze upon this angel'." Kurama laughed a bit and spun around so Sakyo could see all of him. The raven-haired male finally got his motor functions back and quickly dropped the clothes in hand, moving over to inspect the teen.

"I've had this outfit for many years and I've seen it on many people, but not one of them has ever come close to looking as good as you do in it right now." Chuckling, Kurama allowed himself to be moved in different ways so Sakyo could look over all of him.

"It fits very nicely."

"Then it's yours." The smile on Kurama's face was replaced with a look that was a mixture of excitement and surprise.

"You mean it?" Sakyo smiled kindly, pressing his lips to one of the other's hands.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't." Kurama beamed at the crime lord, momentarily forgetting his worries. Having already dressed up for the ball, Sakyo offered his arm to Kurama.

"Shall we go collect your escort for the evening?" The redhead nodded and slipped his arm through the other's. Finding Hiei wasn't terribly difficult, seeing as how Sakyo knew the layout of the mansion like he knew his own home. He also knew all of Hiei's normal hiding spots. As a result, the younger crime lord was found in the span of four minutes and twenty-eight seconds.

"Hiei, why do you hide when you're taking an angel to a ball?" Hiei didn't even glance at the two and instead glared out at his territory. (He's on the roof.)

"I _hate_ social events of any type, _especially_ balls, and _especially_ when they're hosted by _you._" Sakyo sighed and gave Kurama a saddened look.

"You see how difficult he is to deal with? He completely rejects me!" The redhead made a sympathetic noise, making Hiei snort.

"Oh don't fall prey to his 'charm'. He's a no-good, low-down snake in the grass and is only nice to people to get what he wants."

"Hiei, don't be cruel." Snarling, Hiei turned around to snap at Kurama when he stopped dead. His eyes stayed fixed upon what Kurama was wearing, brain unable to quite process what he was seeing. Sakyo smiled slyly and cleared his throat, attracting Kurama's attention. Hiei was still staring at the redhead.

"Well, the ball starts in an hour or so. I must take my leave of you both, but I trust I'll see you at my home soon enough. Hiei, Kurama-chan, I must bid you adieu." He nodded to Hiei and kissed Kurama's hand before leaving to go make last minute preparations. Kurama watched him leave before moving over and sitting next to Hiei.

"You know, it just occurred to me that he rather successfully killed all my anger towards you." Hiei snapped out of his daze and went back to glowering at his grounds.

"Plotting bastard." Kurama sighed a bit in irritation.

"Can't you trust anyone?" Memories from long ago filled Hiei's head and his glower softened to a sad look. He stayed silent, which caused Kurama to notice something was wrong. The redhead bit his lip a bit in concern and gently touched the other's shoulder.

"Hiei…?" Shaking the hand off, Hiei stood and turned to the door.

"No." He left without another word, leaving a very confused and lost Kurama to ponder what the look on his face meant.

End of Chapter Five

A/N: Hey, that didn't take me months. Okay, hope y'all like it. Next chapter: Sakyo's Ball.


	6. Chapter 6: Sakyo's Ball

A/N: I HAVE THREE MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL, BITCHES! Sorry, had to get that out. On top of that, I'm goin' to Animazement tomorrow! Yes, my wonderful sweet friend of whom without I would be very sad. (She's like my ultra-super-duper cool sister I never had but really wanted.) My summer will be divided between this story, my (long-ass) fanfiction for Kingdom Hearts (first chapter's up if anyone's without something to do), World of Warcraft, housework, fam time and role-playing over AIM with my super-special-awesome friend Kana. And going to friends houses and having friends here. So while I have copious amounts of free time, they will not all be dedicated to this I'm sad to say. I am going to try and finish it as fast as I can while still having it be good. So bear with me and if I ever get behind, PM me and slap me in the head to make me get to work.

**DemonUntilDeath:** Aw, I'm glad you liked it! And here's the next update for you!

Hm…only one review…odd…ah well.

**Chapter Six**: Sakyo's Ball

(I felt this chapter merited a title and a bit of a flashback. Dunno why. Just did.)

"_Can't you trust anyone?" Memories from long ago filled Hiei's head and his glower softened to a sad look. He stayed silent, which caused Kurama to notice something was wrong. The redhead bit his lip a bit in concern and gently touched the other's shoulder._

"_Hiei…?" Shaking the hand off, Hiei stood and turned to the door._

"_No." He left without another word, leaving a very confused and lost Kurama to ponder what the look on his face meant._

Kurama spent a few more minutes on the roof, unsure of what the look on Hiei's face had meant. Finally deciding to ask the crime lord, he stood and hurried to go find him.

_Did I insult him? Did I make him angry? I hope not. We were just beginning to get over our anger at each other!_

The redhead hurried down the steps, running through the hiding spots Sakyo had told him. The bedroom was first, obviously. Kurama had just finished checking it and was headed for the next spot when he ran nearly headfirst into a tall figure. He stepped back and looked up, swallowing a bit nervously as cold violet eyes met his.

"I-I'm sorry." The man smirked, or at least Kurama assumed he did. He was wearing a steel mask that covered the lower half of his face.

"No harm done. I'm Karasu, by the way."

"Oh. I'm-"

"Kurama." At the redhead's confused look, the man smirked. At least, his eyes did.

"Everyone here is already aware of your name. What are looking for in Hiei-sama's room?" Kurama took a step back, Karasu following him to keep an exact, uncomfortable distance between them.

"H-Hiei…I-I was looking for Hiei…" The male's eyes glittered and he advanced another step, causing Kurama to take another step back.

"He seemed fairly angry when I saw him a few minutes ago. He looked ready to…murder someone." The redhead winced, eyes slowly lowering to the floor.

_So I did make him angry._

A cold hand suddenly took his chin and lifted his face, making him realize just how much closer the raven-haired man was. Violet eyes gazed into his with a feral, hungry look.

"Don't be so sad, _aka-koi_. (1) I'll make you feel better." Fear began spreading through Kurama's body and he tried to back up when a cold hand gripped his wrist. He stiffened up, trying to pull his head back to put more distance between him and Karasu.

"Please let go."

"And where would you go, my pretty little rose? Why not stay here, where I can take good…_good_…care of you…" Yanking his face from the other's grasp, Kurama pulled back on his wrist.

"Let go of me!" Karasu's eyes glittered as he tightened his grip on Kurama's wrist, closing the door behind him.

"You know, it's really a shame Hiei-_sama_ treats such a gift so badly." Kurama yanked harder, trying to get away.

"Let me go immediately!" Karasu laughed and grabbed Kurama's other wrist, forcing him closer until their bodies were pressed against each other.

"Or you'll do what? Call on your precious little fox? You're too scared and you know it." The redhead felt ice run through his chest as the truth of Karasu's words sank into his mind. He was absolutely terrified. He couldn't even hear Yoko anymore. His arms were suddenly raised above his head and he was spun around, arms crossing. This let Karasu have much more control over Kurama than was anywhere near comfortable. He was forced over to the foot of the bed and bent over it like some human rag doll.

"I wonder what Hiei-sama would think…his precious toy fucked on his own bed, an hour before he had to take them to a ball…"

"No, please! Please, don't do this! Please just let me go!" The raven-haired man chuckled, pinning Kurama's arms down with one hand and using the other to explore his chest.

"Your skin is so soft, _aka-koi._ I wonder if you're soft everywhere…?" Kurama squeezed his eyes shut as the hand lowered considerably, straying into places it wasn't wanted. Karasu chuckled in his ear, hand moving up and undoing the buttons of his shirt. The clothing was pushed off his shoulders a bit and Karasu took his hand away to remove his mask.

"I wonder how good you _taste_…"

"P-please…"

"Please what? Continue? Gladly."

"N-no!" A pair of lips descended onto his neck, gently nipping the skin. He felt the lips pull into a cruel smirk and desperately wished he was anywhere else.

"You're mine." The door suddenly slammed open, a familiar voice entering Kurama's ears.

"Get the _Hell_ away from him!" Karasu was ripped away from Kurama and without the support, no matter how much unwanted, the redhead crumpled to the ground. He heard a sickening crack, followed by an anguished cry from Karasu. He turned his head a bit and saw Karasu kneeling on the ground, clutching his face. An alarming amount of blood was leaking through his hands right about where his nose was. Hiei stood above the male, scarlet eyes absolutely burning with fury. He grabbed the longhaired man by the hair and yanked his head up, pulling a switchblade from his back pocket.

"I should _kill_ you for what you tried to do to Kurama." Karasu gave a strangled whimper and Hiei jerked on his hair.

"How many times. How many times have I said the three kinds of people I can't stand are cowards, traitors and rapists? How many? _How many, damn you Karasu_!" He brought the knife down across Karasu's face, leaving a long gash over his cheek and fingers. Karasu gave another cry of pain, pulling his hands away from his face. Kurama winced at how it looked. His nose was almost completely smashed into his face, which was smeared with blood. Hiei yanked on his hair again, aiming his knife.

"_Answer me, _damn you!"

"S-several! Y-You've said it s-several times!"

"Apparently I didn't say it nearly enough if it wasn't branded into your brain." Yanking on Karasu's hair again, Hiei pressed the blade to the other male's cheek and snarled at him.

"The three kinds of people in this world, that I _can't stand, _no matter _what_, are cowards…" He made a long gash.

"Traitors…" He made another long gash.

"And goddamn rapists like _you._" He made yet another gash, this one dangerously close to Karasu's neck. The raven-haired male's face was now completely covered in blood. Hiei pressed the blade to the cheek with only one gash and began just pressing it in further and further.

"Is it branded into your brain _now_, Karasu?" The male whimpered.

"Y-yes, H-Hiei-sama…" Hiei pressed it in further.

"I didn't hear you. Is it. Branded. Into. Your brain. Now. _Answer me, Karasu_!"

"Y-yes! Y-yes, i-it is!" Pulling the knife out of the imprint, Hiei jerked him up more by his hair and dragged him over to Kurama, flinging him to the ground. Blood splashed onto the carpet, nearly getting on Kurama. Hiei knelt and yanked Karasu's head up so he was looking Kurama in the face. He pressed his blade into the back of them man's neck.

"Apologize to Kurama."

"I-I'm sorry…" Hiei yanked his head up further, which pressed the blade into his neck more.

"I said apologize!" Karasu gave a strangled cry of pain.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry!" Satisfied, Hiei removed his knife and stood, kicking Karasu in the ribs.

"Get up. And get out. I don't care if you have to crawl out of here, just get out and don't die until you're past the gates. I don't want to have to clean up your filthy carcass. If I ever see you again, it won't be this puny thing that I slash you up with." Karasu shakily stood and lurched out the door, holding his face to try and stop the blood. Once he was gone, Hiei made a face at his knife and wiped the blood off with a cloth before going over to Kurama and holding a hand out to him.

"You okay?" Pulling his shirt around him more, Kurama accepted the hand and Hiei pulled him up.

"I-I'm fine…j-just a bit…shaken up…" Hiei nodded and reached over, pulling his shirt back over his shoulders for him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think Karasu would try to ra-"

"I-it's fine! Y-you handled it well…I-I'm just glad you came when you did…" The crime lord nodded again and Kurama looked down, remembering a lot of blood had gotten into the carpet.

"Y-your carpet…" Hiei looked down as well. He didn't look concerned at all.

"That's why it's red." Kurama swallowed as the meaning of that hit him.

"O-oh. S-so you've…"

"It was foreshadowing. Crime lords try to kill other crime lords all the time. I figured I'd become a target eventually and I'd have to kill them and that would get blood on the carpet. So it's red, for the same reason there's a katana on both sides of my bed and under my pillow." Kurama gave Hiei a funny look, which the crime lord ignored. He instead began buttoning the other's shirt back up.

"We should head of Sakyo's mansion. It takes a bit to get there."

"Will I have to blindfolded on the way there too?" Hiei paused to think for a moment. He finally came to a decision and shook his head.

"No, most of the scenery is just forest. It would be too difficult to differentiate it from any other forest here. It should be safe enough that you don't need to be blindfolded." Grateful for this, Kurama just nodded. Once his clothes were straightened again, Hiei slipped his switchblade and a small, concealable pistol into his jacket pocket. He then handed a knife to Kurama.

"Do you have any idea how to use one of these?" Blinking in confusion, the redhead just nodded. Hiei looked a bit surprised, but handed it to him anyway.

"It goes against my conscience to give you one knowing that your…_Yoko_ could come out at any moment and attack me, but I'd rather that if you _do_ get into trouble, he's at least armed." Kurama nodded and slipped the knife into his own pocket where it was easily concealed in the folds of his pants. Hiei nodded in satisfaction.

"All right, let's get going."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

The car was absolutely silent as they drove to Sakyo's mansion. Kurama shifted a bit and looked around at the limo they were in. He hadn't really expected Hiei to have one, but he supposed it was fitting, considering that crime lords were well known for being filthy, exceedingly rich, especially the larger ones, which Hiei was. Said crime lord watched his 'date' for the evening look around in a bit of amazement. After a while, he finally spoke.

"You've never been in a limo, have you." Jumping a bit at the sudden noise, Kurama shook his head. This made Hiei grin a bit and he stretched himself out on the couch.

"Nice, isn't it." The redhead nodded, looking a bit timid and shy. The crime lord vaguely remembered a few things that had happened in this particular limo and Kurama's appearance was a rather violent contrast to the memories.

"Hey, what's with the look. It's just a limo. Not even that big."

"I know, it's just…well…" Sitting up, Hiei gave Kurama a piercing stare.

"It's just what."

"It's just…I don't know, I just never thought…I'd ride in one…"

"Under these circumstances, I'm sure you didn't." Kurama blushed a bit, stammering.

"T-that's not what I-" Hiei held up his hands.

"Hey, I'm not accusing you. I'm just saying I doubt you have fantasies about being in a limo because you were payment for your step-dad's screw-ups. Unless you've got some kinky fetish…" The redhead turned an even darker red and gave Hiei a glare.

"I _don't_ have a fetish." Hiei cocked an eyebrow, an amused look on his face.

"Really? No secret thing that turns you on?" Kurama blushed a bit harder and looked away, glaring a bit. This, however, only made Hiei more curious.

"What is it? Being treated roughly? Having it videotaped? Role-playing? Cross dressing?" The redhead finally looked up, eyes angry and face red.

"If I tell you, will you shut up about it?" The crime lord nodded, now genuinely curious. Kurama swallowed nervously and looked down, mumbling slightly.

"It's…"

"Sorry, didn't catch that. What was it?"

"It's collars! My stupid fetish is having someone put a collar and leash on me, okay?!" Having said that, Kurama crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the seat. Hiei stared at him, mind happily feeding him pictures of Kurama, stripped naked with a fancy diamond collar around his neck. Attached to it was a fancy diamond leash and on the other end of the leash was…

_Collars…he has…a collar…fetish…_

"Stop looking at me like that." Hiei snapped out of his thoughts and blinked in surprise.

"Like what?" Kurama gave him a glare.

"Like you're about to jump me or something." Hiei grinned a bit and leaned back.

"I'd love to, but I don't have any collars or leashes with me."

"You said you'd shut up about it!"

"I'm a crime lord. Lying is in the business description."

"Hiei, I swear on my real father's grave, if you tell _anyone_…"

"What? And let others know what turns you on when I alone have the knowledge to get you hot and bothered?"

"…"

"…Kurama, that knife is for self-defense."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Sakyo smiled politely at all the guests that passed by him, mentally making sure he had proper blackmail material on them.

_You're cheating on your husband who's your only claim to fortune…you stole money from Hiei…you sleep with anyone you find on the street…you murdered his cousin…you had plastic surgery…you had breast implants…ooh, new person! Have to get blackmail on them later. Kurama!_

"Ah, Kurama-chan! I'm glad you could make it!" The redhead gave Sakyo a dazzling smile. Hiei made a disgusted face.

"I'm only here because Hiei took me, so I suppose all thanks should go to him." Smiling, Sakyo kissed the teen's hand.

"So wonderfully modest, Kurama-chan. A breath of fresh air amidst this gaggle of ego-strokers." Hiei glared at him.

"Sakyo, stop flirting with Kurama." The raven-haired male placed a hand on his chest.

"Why Hiei, are you _jealous_? Well, I'm terribly sorry, but with someone as lovely as Kurama so near, I can't find it in my heart to properly court you. And you're not quite my type."

"And I give my thanks for that every day. Come on Kurama." The redhead waved to Sakyo as he was led inside. Smiling, Sakyo waved back.

_Ah, if only if only. Oh, you're actually lying about where you got your money you won it in a lottery…_

Hiei glared over his shoulder at Sakyo before turning back to looking where he was going. He slowed his pace a bit so that Kurama wouldn't have trouble keeping up with him. The redhead's arm was linked through his and though he hated to admit it, they looked rather good together.

_No matter how much I hate to admit it, Sakyo _does_ have good taste._

Shaking his head a bit, Hiei tugged Kurama to the side and spoke to him in a low voice.

"Kurama, I know you probably don't want to be told what to do, especially by me, but-"

"I know. Don't talk to the people here, don't drink or eat anything anyone gives me, and don't go anywhere without you." Hiei nodded, satisfied Kurama at least had an idea of how dangerous it was.

"Sorry about this, I know it probably won't be fun…" Kurama gave him a sly look.

"Oh, but this means I get to watch you actually talk and socialize with people. It'll be tons of fun." Hiei gave the redhead a small glare before linking their arms again and heading back into the social fray. Many of the people here weren't just from Japan and Hiei had to marvel at Sakyo's connections. There were crime lords from England, Germany, even America. Hiei snorted, fixing his face into that intimidating look so many knew.

_A lot of fresh blood…I wonder how wet behind the ears they really are._

"I don't mean to brag, but I really believe I'm a natural at being a crime lord." Hiei rolled his eyes.

_Here we go._

The next hour or so was spent listening to people stroking their own egos. Kurama had fun watching Hiei comment on other's stories with insults thinly veiled with sarcasm. At around eight o' clock or so, Sakyo came over to a very, very annoyed Hiei.

"Hiei, if you would be so kind as to get everyone's attention for me." The crime lord nodded and sucked in a lungful of air. Sakyo leaned over to Kurama.

"Cover your ears, my dear."

"_EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP ABOUT YOUR DAMN EGOS AND PAY ATTENTION TO SAKYO!_" The entire mansion went dead silent and everyone turned to look at Sakyo, whom was lowering his hands from his ears. Hiei, having done as requested, tested a glass of wine before handing it to Kurama and taking some for himself. Sakyo cleared his throat.

"Thank you Hiei."

"Hn."

"Now, before I begin my announcement, I would like to say it's wonderful to have all of you in my home and it's a thrill to see so many new faces." The newer crime lords stood up a bit straighter and Hiei rolled his eyes, leaning over to his 'date' and whispering.

"Sakyo likes to get blackmail on people, so what he meant by that is he's happy at all the new chances to dig up dirt." The redhead nodded and Sakyo ignored Hiei, continuing.

"I'm sure all of you have no doubt been acquainting yourselves with one another, but I would like to introduce a few people formally of whom I believe deserve such attentions. The first being my long-time friend and ally, Jaganshi Hiei." The black-haired crime lord glared at Sakyo while the room clapped for him.

"I hate you."

"A few others I would like to introduce are my most trusted body guards with whom you will meet personally if you cause me any trouble. Up there on the balcony is Chu, Rinku, Touya, Jin, Shishi, and Suzuka. Say hello boys." All heads turned to see a group of rather abnormal looking people lounging on the balcony looking over the entire room. One of them, a male in his early-twenties with vibrant red hair grinned and waved. Sakyo continued.

"And lastly, but not at all least, someone I've met quite recently and yet have become truly infatuated with…" Both Hiei and Kurama paused in drinking their wine, minds figuring out what Sakyo was going to say next.

"The lovely specimen standing beside Hiei, Kurama." All eyes turned to the redhead and he swallowed nervously, slowly setting down his wine. Hiei glared at everyone, including Sakyo, whom shrugged it off. However, the tall crime lord wasn't done.

"And if anyone here tries to do anything to Kurama that he disagrees with, he need merely utter the name of any of my bodyguards and whomever is bothering him may learn what it's like to live without a ribcage. So, on to dinner!" Kurama and Hiei exchanged glances before following Sakyo into the (humongous) dining room where plates, silverware and glasses were already set out. Sakyo sat at the head, Hiei on his right and Kurama on his left.

"I believe that went rather well."

"Die in a fire Sakyo." Sakyo's group of bodyguards moved into the room as well, still lounging on yet another balcony. Kurama caught the eye of one of them, a tall muscular blonde, and smiled a bit. The male grinned back and waved slightly before returning his attention to his friend strangling him with a hug.

"Sakyo-san, what are your…bodyguards names again?" The crime lord looked up and smiled a bit.

"Ah, yes. That blonde you just waved to is Suzuka. The one hugging him is Jin. The one with short blue hair is Touya, the one with the Mohawk is Chu, the little one is Rinku and the one with long purple hair is Shishi. You'll get to know them soon enough, as I intend to bring them over to Hiei's when I come to visit from now on. Oh, hello Raizen." Kurama turned to see who had sat next to him and froze. The man caught his eyes and froze in the process of sitting down, instead staring at Kurama. There was only one thought running through Kurama's head at the moment.

_Oh my god, it's Yusuke's dad!_

End of Chapter Six

A/N: Whee! Cliffy! That's what y'all get for not replying. sticks out tongue Nah, I'm just kidding. Figured I'd need some sort of plot for the next chapter, so here it is. Also, for those who don't remember or don't know because I may not have put it in here, Yusuke and Kuwabara are Kurama's best friends in this.

A/N Pt. 2: Oh my god, I finished a chapter in one night. Appreciate the genius that is me! Kidding again, not really that smart.

(1) _Aka-koi_ – Translates essentially into red lover. Aka means red, koi means love or lover.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I AM NO LONGER IN SCHOOL. It is now officially summer vacation for me and my best friend and my girl friend are going to the same school as me next year. I'm a happy person.

Anywho, since none o' y'all care about that, on with review replies and the story!

**Kuro Mizu-Kitsune:** Thank you for reviewing, and you don't have to review the rest of the chapters if you don't want to. I'll take whatever reviews I can get, be they for the latest chapter or the whole thing. Hope you like the next chapters!

**DemonUntilDeath:** Thanks for pointing that out! Cookie for you! tosses cookie at you It's been updated and in regards to Karasu…you'll have to see.

**Tala ishtar:** Thanks and thanks for reviewing.

_Italics are thoughts and flashbacks._

Chapter Seven

Raizen and Kurama stared at each other for a while, neither knowing what to say or think. Raizen suddenly grabbed Kurama's arm.

"Excuse us a moment." Before Sakyo or Hiei could stop him, the white-haired man had dragged Kurama off into the by-now empty hallway. Sakyo glanced up at Suzuka, whom nodded and disappeared from the balcony. The taller crime lord pulled Hiei back into his seat.

"Kurama-chan will be all right, don't worry. Suzuka is taking care of it." Hiei glared at his friend and his eyes strayed back to the hallway. In said hallway, Raizen dragged Kurama away from the dining room a bit before wheeling around and whispering to the boy in a low hiss.

"What are you _doing_ here?! Do you have any idea how worried Yusuke is?! I've got three of my best men looking for you! Shiori told us you'd been kidnapped!" Kurama gave the man a somewhat nervous smile.

"Well, that's mostly true…"

"'Mostly'? What do you mean by 'mostly'? How the hell do you get 'mostly' kidnapped?!" The redhead rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground.

"Well, it's kind of a long story…"

"Start story-telling." Sighing, Kurama took a deep breath before briefly explaining what had happened in the last few days, leaving out a few details. By the end, Raizen's face was buried in his hands.

"Fuck. Just…fuck. I could kill that dumb-ass Shiori married."

"Is mother okay?" Raizen lowered his hands and nodded, expression softening.

"Yes, she's fine. When the police arrived, she was taken to the hospital for an hour or two before they deemed she was all right. As soon as she got out, she came over to our house and called up her lawyer to divorce that bastard. Trust me, she's fine. And she's worried about you. We all are." Kurama hung his head, tears beginning to sting his eyes.

"I'm worried about her too. And everyone else. But…I do owe Hiei for helping me, twice now. If he let me go, his life would be in more danger. And if I ran away, he would have to come after me." Raizen sighed and nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I know. I've been in his position before. Both of you are in a pretty dangerous position. If he _did_ let you go, he wouldn't be the only one in danger. Other crime lords would try and kidnap you to get at Hiei. There's no way you can go back now." The redhead nodded sadly, a tear slipping down his cheek. Raizen regarded him for a few seconds before reaching over and wiping the tear away.

"Hey, cheer up Red. Hiei's not that bad a guy to get stuck with." Kurama looked up, surprise and confusion written all over his pretty face. The other crime lord grinned a bit.

"I trust the guy. He won't hurt you or make you do anything you don't want to. And I'll tell Shiori and the other's that you're all right. So don't worry." Blinking in surprise for a few seconds, the redhead smiled at him and wiped off his tears.

"T-thank you, Raizen-san." Raizen grinned a bit, ruffling the other's hair affectionately.

"Being friends with Yusuke has to have some perks. Come on. Let's get back to the dinner before Hiei thinks I raped you or something." Kurama blanched slightly, but covered it up quickly and just nodded. They moved back into the dining room, unaware of the blonde watching them carefully. Once Suzuka was sure the redhead was safe, he headed back to the balcony that overlooked the dining room. Just as he had turned around, he came face to face with a rather attractive male with long, purple hair.

"Shishi. What's up?" The male gave the blonde a look before stepping closer, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"You seem rather concerned about that redhead." Suzuka cocked an eyebrow, leaning back against the railing that surrounded the balcony and giving Shishi a curious look.

"He seems like a good kid. The idea of him gettin' hurt doesn't appeal to me." Shishi hummed in his throat, a thoughtful look in his face. He stopped in front of Suzuka and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, leaning against the broad chest.

"But you're making me feel jealous…" The blonde grinned and placed his hands on the other's hips.

"Ah, apologies. What can I do to make it up to you?" Licking his lips, Shishi leaned forward to briefly kiss Suzuka before whispering in his ear.

"Don't worry. I have a way to make you pay attention to me, and _only_ me." The blonde's eyes glittered and he kissed the purple-haired male's neck, relishing the silky feel of it.

"And what's your way?" Shishi just grinned and sank to his knees slowly, staying in front of Suzuka.

"Oh, you'll see."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Hiei watched as Kurama and Raizen returned, Kurama sitting elegantly beside Sakyo while Raizen flopped into his chair. Both looked rather pleased, Kurama more so than Raizen. The redhead struck up a cheerful conversation with Sakyo while Hiei glared at the other crime lord. Raizen noticed the look and grinned a bit. He jerked his head to Kurama and then shook it, a sign they hadn't done anything. Then he leaned forward and motioned for Hiei to do the same. Curiosity overtook the shorter crime lord and he leaned forward as well.

"He's my son's best friend. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything to him." Hiei nodded a bit nervously, slowly sitting back in his seat again. Raizen was a bad person to rub the wrong way. Things could get rather…interesting if he grew angry with Hiei for kidnapping Kurama. Interesting in this context meaning oh god oh god we're all gonna die. He didn't _look_ angry though. Dinner somehow passed without anyone killing anyone else. A few arguments started up, but were generally quelled with a scathing remark from Hiei or a thinly veiled insult from Sakyo. Or a compromise from Kurama. It eventually became well past midnight and everyone had filtered back into the large ball room to talk and brag and whatever else they did at large social events. Hiei located a dark corner for himself and refused to move, watching as Kurama socialized with the people there. He was a natural at bringing the attention of a crowd to himself, even if he didn't mean to. The way his eyes sparkled, the way he tilted his head occasionally, the way he gestured with his hands, everything about him caught people's attention. Hiei watched him intently, scarlet eyes taking in every bit of him. The way his hair rolled down over his shoulders and back like a waterfall of shimmering fire, the way his eyes changed color depending on his emotions, the way his whole body seemed to be artistry in it's most human form. Though it made Hiei wonder: he'd seen Kurama's mother, and she looked like a normal, average woman, nothing at all like Kurama. So his looks must have come from his father's side. So what the heck did his father look like?

_Is that even his natural hair color? Is that even his natural _eye_ color? Is it possible to dye your eyes? Wouldn't it hurt though? That can't be a natural color for hair. Or eyes. Wait, could it? How would that come about anyway? Eat a lot of cherries while you're pregnant? Cherries and emeralds? Maybe rubies. Did she eat rubies? Would that even affect that kid at all? How the hell did he get his hair to look like that? And his eyes? Colored contacts? _

"Hiei?" The crime lord jerked awake, finding himself staring into the very eyes he had been daydreaming about. The teen cocked his head to the side, curiosity written across his delicate features.

"What are you thinking so intently about?" Hiei just stared straight into Kurama's eyes, looking for any sign of something unnatural. He came up with nothing and shrugged, leaning back against the wall.

"Nothing. You need something?" Nodding slightly, Kurama looked a bit guilty at his next words.

"Well, we've been here a while, and I'm starting to get a little tired, so I was wondering if we could head back some time soon…If it's not too much trouble." Before the words had barely left Kurama's mouth, Hiei was up and dragging him towards the door. They met up with Sakyo, whom was saying good-bye to the people leaving. The long-haired crime lord looked mildly surprised to see Hiei dragging Kurama off.

"Hiei? Where are you taking Kura-chan?"

"Ah, sorry Sakyo-san, but this is my fault. I'm feeling a bit tired, so…" The man smiled and nabbed Kurama's hand, kissing it.

"Ah, say no more. I wouldn't have you standing around these drab people when you are not completely alert. I trust Hiei to take you…er…back, safely." Kurama nodded and smiled, waving as he was dragged back to the car. Sakyo chuckled as he watched Hiei contain himself enough to let Kurama in first before leaping in himself and slamming the door shut.

_Kura-chan, you may just be my new way of bringing Hiei out more. Hey, that guy over there owes me money…_

Meanwhile, with our two main characters, Kurama settled into the seat of the limo, preparing to take a bit of a nap. This thought, however, was pushed aside as Hiei spoke.

"Kurama, there's something I wanted to ask you." The teen cocked his head a bit.

"Yes? What is it?" The crime lord regarded him for a few seconds before speaking.

"Who was your real father?" Kurama's entire body froze and there was a long bought of silence where neither said anything or made a move to say anything. Finally, after a bit, the redhead spoke, looking down at his hands.

"I…I honestly don't know. I don't know who my real mother was either." Hiei frowned and sat up, scarlet eyes darkening in confusion.

"That woman at the house…you called her mother…"

"Shiori's been very kind to me, treating me like her own child, and I've grown to see her as my mother, but…because of her cancer, she's never been able to bear children." The crime lord's brain managed to process this in a few seconds and realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"But that means you're-"

"Adopted, yes. I have no idea who or where my birth parents are or if they're even still alive." It grew very quiet for a long time, both lost in their own thoughts. Hiei gave a grim smile and ran a hand through his hair.

"We didn't know who our parents were either." Kurama looked up, confusion shimmering in his eyes.

"We?"

"Me and my twin sister, Yukina. We got dropped on the doorstep of an orphanage as babies, a couple of days after we were born. The people working at the orphanage said that there hadn't been anyone there, nor had there been a note or anything like that. All we had was the blanket we were both wrapped in and two necklaces." Reaching into his shirt, Hiei moved over to the redhead and pulled out a perfect, round crystal tied around his neck with black cord. It was completely untouched and looked as though it had been made a few days ago. Kurama reached forward tentatively, fingers gently touching the gem.

"It's beautiful…"

"Yeah. My sister Yukina had one too." Kurama's head snapped up.

"Had? You mean she doesn't anymore?" Hiei shook his head and put the necklace back in his shirt.

"She's dead. Died a while ago." Kurama's eyes turned softer.

"What happened?" The crime lord was silent for a bit before answering.

"The orphanage we got dropped at was in the poor part of town, and we got adopted by one of the 'nicer' families, nicer in this context meaning we only got beaten when there was a reason, when we were about ten. Our 'family' was actually a gang. I joined when I was old enough, mostly because I had to. They didn't force Yukina to, luckily. I went to jail at least once a week if not more. There I made 'friends', people I _thought_ I could count on. Then when I was sixteen, I got sent to jail for a few days instead of a night. Yukina didn't know where I was and went looking for me. Unfortunately for her, my 'friends' had gotten out before me and came across her. They'd met her before, but I guess the knowledge that she was my sister didn't stop them from gang-raping her and then shooting her." Kurama's eyes widened, fear and horror spreading into the emerald orbs, but Hiei wasn't done.

"I got out and found her body, lying in a ditch with her clothes torn open and a bullet wound in her stomach. I didn't know who had done it, so there was nothing I could do. Then I heard them bragging about it a year or so later. I had a gun by then and I turned around and shot one of them, the one I had been closest to. I only got his shoulder, but I was going to kill him." Here, Hiei's eyes darkened.

"They outnumbered me, so I figured they'd stay and fight, at least to protect their friend. But they all ran. The damn cowards ran. The one I had shot begged me for mercy. I would have killed him if my family hadn't stopped me and dragged me off before the police got there. They arrested everyone there, including the guy I'd shot, and put them all through court. I saw it in the news and I had hoped that bastard got killed for what he did to Yukina. But they…they found him _innocent._ He got off with a little slap on the wrist while Yukina suffered through so much pain before losing her life." There was silence for a long time, neither saying a word. After a few minutes, Kurama spoke in a shaky voice.

"T-that's why…t-that's why you said the three people you hated were-"

"Yeah. That's why." It was completely silent again, neither knowing what to say anymore. Kurama looked down at the crime lord next to him, mind racing with things to say.

"…I'm sorry." Hiei snorted and leaned back in the chair from his previous position of leaning on his knees.

"Not your fault. It's not like you were one of the people who raped her."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing. Don't be sorry for something you didn't do." Kurama fell silent again, looking down at his hands. It was quiet for almost half an hour, both falling into their own thoughts. Hiei suddenly spoke, the sound making Kurama jump a bit.

"So if your name is Shuichi, why do you call yourself Kurama?" The redhead blinked at the sudden topic change, then realized that the crime lord expected an answer.

"O-oh. My friends and I were reading up on ancient lore once and we found a bandit fox named Yoko Kurama. Since Yoko already had the first part of the name, my friends just started calling me Kurama." Hiei nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.

"How did you get to be friends with Raizen's son anyway? I've heard things about Yusuke and he doesn't seem the type of kid someone like you would get mixed up with."

"We met up when he…ah…saved me from getting raped by a teacher." Hiei blanched, nearly falling out of his chair.

"He saved you from _what_?!" Kurama smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, my mother's said I've always looked very beautiful, even when I was younger. Anyway, he's-"

"Oh hell no, go back! You almost got raped by a _teacher_?!"

"Yes, in fifth grade. But it-"

"You almost got raped by a teacher _while you were in the fifth grade_?!" The redhead scratched the side of his cheek, looking a bit sheepish.

"Well…yeah…" Hiei just stared at him, eye twitching as his mind was assaulted with images of a younger Kurama getting forced over a desk, sobbing, while an average looking man in nice clothes leered at him, pinning his wrists down and getting ready to-

"Anyway, Yusuke stopped him by drop-kicking him in the head and then proceeding to beat him up. The principal called the police and Yusuke got suspended while my teacher went to court for attempted statuary rape. When Yusuke got back, he and Kuwabara, my other friend, deemed themselves my bodyguards and we started hanging out since then." The crime lord was dragged back to the present to see Kurama giving him a curious look. Wiping the images from his mind, he buried his face in his hands.

"You're too beautiful for your own good."

"If I admitted to that, I'd sound a bit arrogant, now wouldn't I." Hiei consented to this insight and nodded, lost in thought again.

"If you're tired, you should go to sleep." Kurama nodded a bit and tried to make himself comfortable in the seat. He yelped a bit as Hiei grabbed his shoulders, forcing him down into his lap.

"H-Hiei-"

"Sleep. I won't do anything to you." The redhead blinked in surprise, than smiled slightly and settled into the other's lap. Hiei watched as the teen fell asleep quickly, whole body relaxing and chest falling into an even pattern of breathing. Sighing, he began stroking the long silky red locks and letting his mind wander a bit.

…_He has a fetish for _collars_…_

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama slowly opened his eyes, unsure of where he was. He blinked a bit in surprise as his eyes fell on silk black sheets. Sitting up, he looked around and noticed he was back in Hiei's room. His shoes had been removed and a pair of loose, silk pajamas had replaced his clothes. He blinked again and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, searching for Hiei. The crime lord wasn't in the room. Frowning, the redhead checked the time and groaned as he flopped back onto the pillows. It was three-thirty in the morning, way too early for him to be up. Rolling over, he tried to get back to sleep, but found it difficult for some reason. He tossed and turned for a while before eventually exhaustion grabbed hold of him and he began to drift off. A few stories above him, cloak wrapped around him to ward off the night chill, Hiei glowered at the darkness. In his hand was a round, crystal necklace that had once belonged to someone else.

_Nii-san, if I die, promise me you'll take my necklace and give it to someone very special to you._

_Hiei wheeled around to stare at his twin, scarlet eyes wide._

"_What?! Where did that come from?! Yukina, you're not sick, are you?" The blue-haired girl smiled and shook her head._

"_No, I'm not sick." Hiei quickly moved next to her, checking her over for any wounds. When he didn't find any, he half glared at his sister._

"_Yukina, don't worry me like that! And don't say things like that either! You're not going to die. Not before me at any rate." Yukina smiled a bit sadly and looked down at her hands._

"_I know. But still, if I do, promise me you'll take my necklace and give to someone special to you." The more muscular of the two put his hands on his hips and glared._

"_Okay, what's this all about. Was snitch-face being mean to you again? If he was, I'll-"_

"_No, no one was being mean to me. Please, just promise me." _

"_You're not-"_

"_Please, nii-san. Please just promise me." Hiei regarded her for a few seconds before snorting._

"_Pointless anyway. You're the only person who means anything to me."_

"_Nii-san-"_

"_All right, all right, I promise, I promise. _If_, on some bizarre turn of events, you die before me, I promise to take your necklace and give it to someone special to me. Happy now?" Beaming, Yukina flung her arms around the other's neck._

"_Very. Thank you nii-san. You're the best." Hiei grumbled and pretended to reluctantly return the hug when in reality, he was happy his sister was happy. _

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm a saint. Now let go before someone sees or something." _

Hiei pressed his lips together in a thin line, still rubbing the gem with his thumb. If he hadn't made that promise to Yukina, he would have just buried the necklace with her.

_You keep haunting me, imouto-chan._

Sighing, he looked down at the crystal. He had been sitting on the roof for nearly three hours now, trying to sort out his head. His eyes wandered down to the window of the room…_his_ room, actually, where Kurama slept, hopefully in peace. The redhead was beginning to make his way through the barriers that surrounded Hiei, even if he didn't realize it. It bothered Hiei, but at the same time he wasn't willing to do anything to stop it.

_I already bared a good half of my soul to him. I'm actually helping him break down my walls. …Why? Why am I doing something so ridiculous as that? Why do I act so differently around him? Why does everything feel complicated when it comes to him? Kidnap a family member as payment, sell them on the black market. That's it. But him…I didn't hit him back when he hit me. I stopped them from hurting him. I let him stay in my room. I didn't kick him out. I didn't sell him. Hell, I could have sold him to Sakyo easy. But instead I got protective. I didn't like Sakyo touching him. I almost killed Karasu. Karasu, who was practically my second in command, next to Toguro. I kicked out one of my most trusted friends. I almost killed them too. I only left that ball when _he_ wanted to. When _he_ was tired. I told him about Yukina. I told him about my past. I carried him up to my room. _My _room. Not a different one, but mine. This is the third night in a row I'm not sleeping in my own bed, and it's because of him. Why do I like him so much? Why does he like _me_ so much? It can't just be physical attraction. That's there, definitely, but it's not the only thing. So what else is there? Not love. It's not love, at least not yet. But there's something…personality? Ha. Yeah, he's attracted to my personality. My stunning, shining, snarky, sarcastic, insulting personality. Yeah, he's definitely attracted to that all right. _

Snorting, Hiei stood and draped the necklace over his neck, letting it fall next to it's look-alike. He stared at the two gems for a few seconds before tucking them back into his shirt and wrapping his cloak around him.

_Later. I'll figure it all out later. Maybe I will give it to Kurama. If nothing more than to make imouto-chan happy._

The crime lord scowled and shook his head, leaping down to one of the lower roofs before sliding off the edge and grabbing hold of the sill of the window to his room. Pulling himself up, he opened the window and slipped in, staying as silent as possible. Kurama didn't stir, his eyes remaining closed and his chest rising and falling with each breath. Hiei quietly shut the window and looked at the redhead, mind racing with earlier thoughts.

_What is it? What is it that's between us? What's the attraction? What is it? Why do I like him so much? Why him? What is it? Why him? Why? What? _

Slipping off his cloak, Hiei moved closer to closer to Kurama's sleeping form. The thoughts listed above kept spinning around his head like a broken record. He set one knee onto the bed, leaning closer and closer until he was mere inches away from the other's face. He hovered there for a few seconds while his thoughts grew louder and louder.

_What is it? What? What? What?!_

Hiei finally closed the distance, pressing his lips to the redhead's for a brief moment before pulling back. Kurama didn't stir at all and the crime lord fingered his lips. They were still warm from the heat they had taken from Kurama's.

_What is it about you, Minamino Shuichi…Kurama… What is it about you?_

End of Chapter Seven

A/N: Okay, I _really_ hate to end it there, but if I continue it'll take me forever to finish. Also, this is possibly _the best_ place to end the chapter. I promise to get the next one out as soon as freaking possible, so don't fret. There shall be a Next button after this chapter soon enough. Drop a review, please don't kill me, and hope it's enough to make your inner fangirl squeal with joy. Ciao!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: …I got nothing. Other than I'll probably finish this chapter in a few hours since it's Tuesday and the World is down for maintenance. Sighs a bit Oh well.

**Sleeping Rain:** Heh. I like making people's inner fangirls/boys squeal. Glad you like it and thanks for reviewing.

**Tala ishtar:** Thanks and thanks again for reviewing.

**Anon:** Mm…not so much, actually. That sort of stuff is great for plots and appeals to my more sadistic nature.

**DemonUntilDeath:** Thanks and thanks for reviewing! Also, I figured it'd be kind of like Sakyo to act that way. And I like leaving you guys hanging. Assures me I'll have someone reading the next chapter.

**Kuro Mizu-Kitsune:** I'm glad you liked it. Don't know why, but I always pegged those two as a couple. Anywho, thanks for reviewing and thanks for the reviews to all the other chapters. I hadn't checked my mail in a couple of days and it was a surprising but not unwelcome to see this rather long list of reviews.

**Rose in bloom8768:** Thank you. It's taken me several years to settle on my own style. Thanks for reviewing too!

Okay, now that the review replies are over with, on to the real story!

_Italics are now thoughts, flashbacks, and dreams._

_'These would be thoughts inside of flashbacks and dreams, to help differentiate.'_

Chapter Eight

_Cold hands wrapped around his neck, an evil voice hissing smugly in his ear. _

_"Pretty Kurama. Lovely Kurama. Like a poisonous flower. So very much like us."_

_"No...I'm nothing like you...I don't even know who you are...leave me alone..." The voice laughed and the hands moved to hold him in a freezing embrace. _

_"Oh, but Kurama are like us. So very _much_ like us. But pretty Kurama doesn't know why he's so much like us. Poor, poor, pretty Kurama. If he weren't burdened with such...useless hunks of flesh, pretty Kurama would see exactly why he's so much like us." _

_"Shuichi?" Looking over, Kurama's eyes widened as he saw Shiori standing there, confusion and hesitation on her face. _

_"M-Mother!"_

_"Kurama, what's going on?" The redhead saw Yusuke and Kuwabara come up behind her, the same look on their faces._

_"Y-Yusuke! Kuwabara! Help me!" The voice made a sympathetic sound in his ear._

_"Poor, pretty Kurama. He doesn't know that these people hold him back. They try to hide him. they don't want people to see him. They only think about themselves. No one truly loves our pretty Kurama. No one but us. And we love our pretty Kurama so much that we won't let these average, cold-hearted selfish people hurt our poor pretty Kurama anymore." Before Kurama could call to them, a hand of ice closed over his mouth. The redhead could do nothing but watch in horror as black shapes moved around behind the three, moving closer and closer and closer. _

_'No! No! Not them! Please not them!'_

_Yusuke and Kuwabara wheeled around, eyes widening as the things descended upon them with knives and chains. They were beaten to the ground and Kurama could do nothing but watch as they were pounded on and cut and murdered. He heard his mother scream and looked over, eyes widening in horror. They were raping her. His loving, sick mother. Tears sprang to his eyes and began to pour down his cheeks as he watched them kill her. Suddenly, a much younger, female voice called out._

_"Nii-san! Nii-san help me!" Kurama forced himself to look over. A beautiful, young girl with gentle red eyes and long blue hair screamed in pain as the back shapes tore into her. Around her neck was a perfect, round crystal._

_'Oh no...Yukina...'_

_The voice cooed in his ear._

_"Poor pretty Kurama. He thinks these people don't deserve this. He thinks they care about him. He thinks they're not selfish." The black shapes and everyone disappeared, leaving Kurama alone in darkness. The freezing hands disappeared and Kurama fell to the ground, sobbing._

_"No! They do love me! They're my friends! My family!" The voice remained in his ear and he looked around wildly, trying to find who was saying it._

_"Poor, pretty Kurama. Mislead by horrible, horrible people."_

_"Stop calling me that! Stop it!" A hand caressed his face, and no matter how much he tried to move away from it, it was still there._

_"Our lovely Kurama. Our sweet, lovely Kurama. We won't let anyone hurt you ever again. Never again. Never our lovely Kurama. Our beautiful baby. Stolen from us by those horrible people." Body shaking, Kurama looked around in confusion._

_"S-stolen? W-who are you?" A figure suddenly appeared in front of him, a woman with long red hair and deep brown eyes. She looked completely crazed and insane, stroking his face._

_"My lovely baby. My beautiful baby. My pretty little boy. Stolen from me. Never to be seen again. My lovely, lovely baby." Kurama stared, tears still streaming down his face._

_"M...m...mother?" The woman smiled and continued stroking his face._

_"My baby boy...he knows who I am..." Kurama gave a cry of surprise and fear and he realized her wrists were bleeding. Deep gashes marked each one and a bloody kitchen knife lay beside her. Jerking up to his feet, he tried to get away from her when two hands wrapped themselves around his body in an unwanted embrace._

_"My boy...my only son..." Twisting his head, the teen could see a man with black hair and deep, green eyes. His eyes were wild, insane, much like the woman's. The woman stood from the ground, coming over to the redhead._

_"Our boy...our lovely Kurama...our lovely...baby..." Struggling, Kurama tried to get away from them both._

_"No! No! You abandoned me! You didn't want me! I wasn't stolen from you! You gave me away!"_

_"Silly, lovely Kurama...you were taken from us...taken away...taken away forever..."_

_"What are you talking about?! You two left me! You didn't want me!" The woman's smile seemed almost frantic as she stroked Kurama's face._

_"Baby, pretty Kurama, I know we have problems, but we can work them out! We can be a whole family again! We can be together!" Tears continued down Kurama's face and he tried to twist away from the man holding him._

_"No! Let me go! I don't know who you are! I don't love you!" The woman's smiled didn't falter._

_"It's okay, it's okay. Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you always. Mommy always will. Come here, let mommy make you feel better." Kurama suddenly got an image of the woman, standing in a kitchen, with the same look on her face. She was holding a hand out to him, the other hand hidden behind her back._

_"Mommy will make you feel _all_ better. Mommy will make it so you never have to feel pain again. Come to mommy, sweetie. Come to mommy..." The arms around him suddenly dropped and the redhead found himself standing in front of a house surrounded by police cars. A woman was being wrestled out of the house, screaming hysterically._

_"Shut up! Let me go! This has nothing to do with you! It's my child! My son! I'll take care of him! Let me go!" A female officer stepped out carefully, holding a small baby in her arms. One of the other officers came over to her._

_"How is he?" The woman looked up, smiling a bit._

_"He's alive. A pretty nasty gash, but she missed any veins." The man breathed a sigh of relief and reached over, gently running a hand over the baby's head._

_"Thank Kami. Let's get him to the medical squad and then to an orphanage. No judge in their right mind would put this pretty baby back in the hands of those psychos. What's his name?"_

_"Shuichi. Otsuko Shuichi."_

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama sat up quickly, tears rolling down his face as he gasped for breath. His whole body shook with adrenaline from the fear of it. Choking back a sob, he curled into himself and just sat there, shivering. The tears rolling down his face changed to ones of anger as he struggled to remember his dream. He couldn't remember any of it, but he knew he had been terrified.

_Damn it! I can never remember any of that dream, but I know I keep having it!_

Sighing, the redhead wiped his eyes and checked the clock, frowning as he saw the numbers.

_It's already eight? That's odd. I've never slept that late. Maybe I was just tired._

Fear of the dream already fading, Kurama slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom to shower. It was only after that he realized Hiei wasn't in the room, nor was there any indication that he had been there recently.

_Where'd he go? Did he sleep somewhere else?_

Frowning, Kurama quickly dressed and hurried out to go find the crime lord. He searched through all the normal hiding spots and some of the ones Hiei seemed less likely to be in. After an hour of searching, he still had nothing and he was starting to feel rather hungry.

"That's odd. He's usually around..."

"Something wrong?" Wheeling around, startled, Kurama found himself staring at someone's chest. His eyes traveled up over the rest of the chest, the person's neck, and finally on their face. the man standing in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen him.

"N-no, nothing's wrong."

"Hiei-sama went out a few hours ago. He'll be back eventually." Kurama nodded, lost a bit in his own thoughts. He felt...abandoned for some reason. A large hand suddenly touched his shoulder gently and he jerked back in surprise, nearly falling over. The man in front of him grinned a bit.

"Sorry. Thought I'd lost you there for a second. I'm Toguro, by the way."

"O-oh. I-I'm Kurama."

"It's very nice to meet you, Kurama. Now, would you like something to eat? Or have you already?"

"N-no, I haven't." Nodding, Toguro motioned for him to follow and headed to the kitchen. There were very few people about, so the mansion was rather quiet.

"Ah...Toguro-san?"

"Hm?"

"What...what exactly does Hiei _do_? I mean, I know he's a crime lord, but I'm not sure what that means."

"I assume you've seen some of the going-ons on TV."

"Well, yes. Drug deals, black market stuff, but the reporters get rather foggy. The main thing I know is hardly any of them ever get caught."

"Only the good ones don't get caught. They're all paid up with the right people."

"The...right people?"

"Cops, judges, political figures, people in power, essentially. A judge that's paid enough won't find you guilty. Unless he's paid more by someone who wants you in jail. Anyway, drugs are pretty important. There are some pretty expensive drugs in Japan that the rest of the world can't get. So crime lords like Hiei and Sakyo buy or make the drugs and sell them to overseas buyers for tons of money. They also dabble in the trade of selling people. They send people to other countries or other places to pick out some pretty girls or steal them from other crime lords, then they sell them to people who want them for sex or whatever. Hiei-sama doesn't normally work in this area, preferring to sell organs and drugs rather than people. If you want to narrow it down to Hiei-sama, he dabbles in assassination for the most part. Killing people for money. Remember that powerful ambassador that died a few months ago?" Kurama nodded slowly, then his eyes widened a bit.

"That was...?"

"Yup."

"But they said he was a drug-abuser and just over-dosed!"

"He did. Course, he didn't know he did since he was asleep at the time."

"So Hiei..."

"Injected the drugs right into his bloodstream while he slept. Too much drugs, too much of the wrong kind, heart attack, dead." Kurama fell silent, not sure what to say. The person he was staying with, the person who was holding his life, killed people, without remorse, for money.

_I suppose...this puts me in a bit more danger._

_No shit._

Blinking a bit, it took Kurama a few seconds to realize it was Yoko who had spoken.

_Yoko? Where did you go? I haven't heard from you in a few hours._

_Yeah, sorry about that. I tried to talk t you and take control while that bastard was trying to rape you, but you were too scared and wouldn't listen to me. Also you seemed to be enjoying yourself at the ball, so I figured I'd let you socialize for a bit without me looming over your shoulder. _

_Oh. Yoko, do remember the dream I had?_

The redhead could feel his alternate personality frown.

_No. I know you were terrified and I kept trying to wake you up, but you either weren't listening or couldn't hear me. You said a few things too._

_I did? Like what?_

_Mostly it was just 'no' and 'stop', but you also said 'you left me'. Ring any bells?_

Frowning a bit, Kurama shook his head. He didn't remember any of it, not even why he would say something like that. He slipped back into reality for a few seconds to check where they were and found he was standing in front of the kitchen, heading in after Toguro.

"Anything in particular you crave?"

"Huh? Oh, no, not really." The tan male shrugged and got out everything to make pancakes.

"All right. Just sit at the table, I'll make you some pancakes." The redhead nodded and sat down, slipping back into his conversation with Yoko.

_Did you see any of my dream?_

_Nope. I usually don't. I can read your reactions. You've had this dream before. Several times, in fact._

_I know. But I can never remember any of it. I just know it terrified me, whatever it was._

_Yeah. You haven't had it in a while._

_I know. Something must have triggered it again. _

_I guess so. Any idea what it could be?_

_I don't know what's in the dream, so I don't know what kind of things would trigger it._

_Ah. Good point._

"Pancakes?" Snapping out of his head, Kurama smiled reflexively at Toguro and nodded. It got much quieter while he ate, neither knowing what to say to the other. They finally decided to just wander in their own thoughts, since there was nothing to say.

_I wonder where Hiei is..._

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama sighed and stared into the koi pond. The sun was setting already and Hiei had yet to show up.

_He couldn't have forgotten, could he?_

Sighing again, the teen watched the fish in the water swim around, doing circles around their small enclosure.

"Trapped like me, huh."

"Kurama, why are you making my fish depressed?" Snapping up, Kurama turned and saw Hiei standing a few feet behind him, confused look on his face.

"Hiei!" The crime lord cocked an eyebrow.

"You didn't think I'd forget to take you back, did you?"

"N-no! Well, actually..." Hiei snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Silly. Like I'd forget. Now get up off the ground. We're leaving now." Blinking in surprise, Kurama did as he was told and followed Hiei out to the front. There was a car there, ready to leave. It was much smaller than the limo, but that was to be expected. Hiei opened the door and motioned for the redhead to slide in.

"Come on. It takes a while to get there." Nodding, the teen slipped in. Hiei moved in next to him and reached into his pocket, pulling out a strip of black cloth.

"You remember my terms?" Kurama nodded and held still while the cloth was tied over his eyes, completely obscuring his vision. He felt Yoko growl in the back of his mind but hushed him, settling into the seat. He felt the car start up and the bit of movement as they started off. Hiei's voice entered his ears after a few seconds.

"So what did you do while I was gone?"

"Well...not much, actually. Just wandered around, mapping everything out." The crime lord made a thoughtful noise and sat back, taking this time to observe the teen next to him. He had a fairly decent view of the other, minus the fact that he couldn't see Kurama's eyes. He decided to let his mind freely wander, since that usually helped him understand his own head. It grew almost completely silent in the car, the only sound being that of the vehicle actually moving over the roads towards their destination. It was like this for nearly half an hour, Hiei just watching Kurama in silence ad the redhead not saying anything either. Kurama could almost feel Hiei staring at him and shifted uncomfortably.

"Um...Hiei...I-"

"You can take the blindfold off." Jerking a bit in surprise, Kurama raised his hands and removed the cloth. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and when they did, he looked around. He recognized where they almost immediately. They were almost to his home.

"We're..."

"Yeah. Doesn't matter if you see now, since you can't trace it back from here anyway. You were saying?" Shaking his head, Kurama settled for just staring out the window.

"It's nothing." Hiei continued to watch him for a few seconds before looking at the scenery as well.

"You live in a nice neighborhood."

"Yeah...the people in it work to keep it clean."

"Mm." The car lapsed into silence once again until it stopped across the street from an empty house. Hiei was about to inform the redhead they had arrived but quickly swallowed his words. It would be stupid since Kurama could recognize his own house.

"We can't be here for too long. People will get suspicious if they see some random car parked across the street from your house." Nodding, Kurama stepped out of the car and crossed the road to the porch of said house. Kneeling, he pulled out a key from the mouth of a little kitten statue and straightened, unlocking the door and stepping in. He paused and looked back at Hiei.

"Do you...want to come in?" Motioning for the driver to stay, the crime lord crossed the street and followed his charge into the home. As Kurama disappeared upstairs, Hiei took the time to look around. It was a rather homey place, littered with random things like animal figurines, books, pictures, origami, shiny stones, and so on. Everything was neat and organized, but not overly so. Moving over to one of the walls, Hiei observed the pictures. Most of them were of Kurama when he was younger. There were a few with Shiori and a man with short black hair and gentle brown eyes. He didn't look much at all like Jiro, so Hiei assumed it was Shiori's first husband. If there had been pictures of Jiro, there weren't anymore. Snorting, Hiei gave a bit of a grin.

"Understandable. Wouldn't want pictures of the bastard in the first place." Meanwhile, upstairs, Kurama was wandering around his room. Everything was as it had been the last time he'd been in there. Nothing had been moved or taken out. Even his homework was still sitting on his desk, unfinished. Sighing, he looted around for a spare backpack and put a few of his clothes into it before heading into his own private bathroom. Sitting on the counter was a bottle and a folded up note he hadn't yet read.

_Oh, that's right. Mother put that there and told me to read it after dinner. Something the therapist said about Yoko._

Opening it, Kurama scanned the words and blanched.

_Shuichi-  
It appears your condition is worse than we thought. You have another alternate personality, but this one won't come out nearly as much if it all. However, it's apparently suppressing some of your memories. Your mother told me sometimes you have nightmares that you can't remember. If you ever have another one, notify me immediately and make sure you take two pills after it immediately as well. This is extremely important, so don't forget!  
Your shrink,  
Botan_

Kurama stared at the paper, eyes widening as he reread it.

_...Uh-oh._

Grabbing his medicine and anything else he needed, Kurama shouldered the backpack and ran down the stairs as fast as he could.

"Hiei!" The crime lord looked up from the book he'd been scanning.

"You ready to-"

"Hiei, I think I have a serious problem!" Before the crime lord could speak, Kurama shoved the note under his nose.

"My therapist said I have another alternate personality that's suppressing some of my memories and if I have another nightmare I can't remember I was supposed to tell her immediately but since I didn't read this until a few minutes ago I didn't know so I didn't call her after I had another one this morning and she also told me to take medicine after one but I didn't have my medicine with me _and _I hadn't read the note so I didn't and I don't know what's going to happen because she hasn't had a chance to talk to me about it and I don't know if it'll get worse or what!" Hiei took a few seconds to marvel at how fast Kurama could talk when he was worked up. He took the letter and read through it quickly before looking back up at the redhead.

"You had a nightmare this morning?" Kurama nodded, worry written on his pretty features. Hiei read over the note again before coming to a decision.

"How long does your therapist work?"

"She'll still be at her office by now."

"And where's her office?"

"Not far from here. Only about ten miles or so, on Shoufuu Drive."

"All right. We'll head down there, you can call her from my cell phone and explain what happened on the way there. All right?" Kurama nodded quickly and Hiei nodded a bit as well before turning to the door.

"Let's go. The more time we waste, the worse it could get." They had just left, Kurama locking the door and putting the key back, when a male voice called to them.

"Well, well, well. Look who's all grown up." Hiei froze, scarlet eyes turning cold. He slowly turned to face a man with short, black hair and cruel green eyes, placing himself between Kurama and the other male.

"Toru." The man snorted and grinned a bit, as did the three flanking him.

"Hey there Hiei. Looks like you landed yourself in the big league. You look a lot different from the little punk that used to be in Son's gang."

"Yeah, well you look pretty much the same as you always did. Dumb and high. So what are you doing in these parts."

"You know, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Who's the pretty piece behind you? Don't tell me you've taken up pimping." Hiei made a disgusted sound.

"As if I'd lower myself to such a pathetic, delusional career. Speaking of which, still acting big when you're in the poor house? I hear it's pretty hard to sell your girls when you keep giving them diseases." The man threw back his head and laughed.

"So insulting. Just like always. So how's that bird of a sister of yours?" The crime lord's eyes burned with anger and he clenched his fists. This made Toru grin.

"Oh that's right, she died, didn't she? Poor slut, asked for a bit more than she could take." Kurama spotted the signs in Hiei's body and quickly caught him before he could attack the man.

"Hiei! He's not worth it!" This made Toru and his cronies laugh even harder.

"Better listen to the pretty lady, Hiei. You don't wanna mess with me." Kurama glared at the man as hard as he could, still holding Hiei back. Toru motioned for his cronies to stay and moved towards the two. Hiei stopped straining against the redhead and Kurama let him go, moving to stand beside him. The black-haired male smirked and gripped Kurama's face in his hand, making Hiei snarl.

"You are a pretty thing, aren't you. Pretty young though. So what's a bird like you doing with a runt like this? If you want something a little bigger, I could always take you home." Kurama pulled his face away and snorted.

"I'll pass. Besides, I can already tell you're not proportional from the way you act. I wouldn't even feel anything." Hiei's mouth twisted into a smug grin while Toru faltered. Trying to recover, he grinned again.

"Not a bad tongue you've got there, sweetheart. So what else can your mouth do?"

"Nothing to you, that's for sure. Now if you would kindly move..." Toru gripped Kurama's arm.

"You're not going anywhere, sweetheart." Kurama and Hiei both tensed up, Hiei's hands moving to his jacket pocket. A deep voice suddenly spoke up.

"Problems, Hiei-sama?" All heads turned to see Toguro standing there, eyes hidden by his sunglasses. He angled his head to Toru's cronies, who stood a whole head shorter than him, and cracked his knuckles threateningly. Hiei didn't take his eyes from Toru.

"No, no problems. Toru was just about to leave." The black-haired male snorted and released Kurama's arm. He gave Toguro an angry look and spoke, his words laced with venom.

"I can't believe you're on the same side as this _wimp_, Toguro. You'd be a lot more useful on my side." Toguro shrugged and moved next to Hiei.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Otsuko." That word made something click in Kurama's mind and suddenly a piece of his dream came back.

"Wait, Otsuko?" Hiei gave the redhead a strange look and nodded.

"Yeah, Otsuko Toru. that's his name. ...Why?" Toru stopped and turned to Kurama, face drawn in a frown.

"Your face..." He suddenly strode over and grabbed Kurama's face, making Hiei and Toguro bristle. Kurama didn't do anything to stop it and stared the other male straight in eyes. Toru's eyes narrowed for a few seconds, then widened.

"Oh my god...you're..." Hiei and Toguro's looks became confused, as did the looks of Toru's cronies.

"Uh...boss? You know this kid?"

"This...is my son..."

End of Chapter Eight

A/N: Y'all have _no_ idea how much I want to keep writing. But I'm not going to because I'm evil and my attention is starting to split. So we're gonna drop off here until the next chapter. Drop a review, hope you enjoy, so on and so forth. Later!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Urk. Well, this _would_ have been out sooner, but I ran headlong into a block. Still on it, actually, but soda and inspiration from a Hiei Kurama video on YouTube is slowly making a hole in the wall. It's starting to crumble, so I figured might as well hijack the creative juices and filter them into this story before X-Men and Organization XIII steal them. head/desk This may not be the best song to listen to while writing this chapter (All About Us by T.A.T.U.), but regardless!

Disclaimer: It just occurred to me I never put a disclaimer on this thing. I don't own YuuYuu Hakusho or it's characters, but I do own the people not in the series.

Okay, before the story reviews, I just want to put up a poll thing. But first, brief background: my friends will vouch that I can write a (at least) decent sex scene between two guys. I enjoy writing them and can actually get pretty damn creative and poetic if caught in the right mood. So, here's my poll/data gathering/experiment thing:

Who here would like a sex scene between Hiei and Kurama added to this story? (This is also a way to see who actually reads my Author Notes. …Don't give me that look, someday I may put important stuff in here and I wanna know who'll be reading it.)

**sielge:** Yay! Gaining interest! bar blips up on screen Woot! (Thanks for the review too)

**Sharingan Hikari:** Thanks, and thanks for reviewing too!

**Tala ishtar:** I would have updated sooner, but that's explained up there. Thanks for reviewing!

**DemonUntilDeath:** Posting! Posting! Don't hurt me! ducks (And thanks for reviewing)

**anon**: evil kitty grin I know. And Yomi's coming, but he shan't be getting any with Kurama sad to say. Maybe a different story…

**Kuro Mizu-Kitsune:** Yes! Yes I left it _there_! maniacal laughter followed by a few coughs then hacking Ahem. Sorry. And yes, I figured since Kurama looks _nothing_ like Shiori (nothing against her though, love her very dearly) he either had to get his looks from three places: he has a drop-dead gorgeous dad who looks almost exactly like him (couldn't force myself to give someone like that up to anyone, even Shiori), Yoko changed the looks of the baby while in the womb (not with this story he couldn't) or he was adopted and was kind of a hybrid of his real parents. So, I put that in. kitty smile Fan of those three pairings myself. (Thanks for reviewing!)

**Lumberjane:** Yes. Yes he was. Thanks for the review.

**Yuki Hi Hono'o:** But of course. It's the only way I can almost guarantee you people will read the next chapter. Thanks for the review!

MMKAY! CHAPTER TIME!

**Chapter Nine**

_"Your face..." He suddenly strode over and grabbed Kurama's face, making Hiei and Toguro bristle. Kurama didn't do anything to stop it and stared the other male straight in eyes. Toru's eyes narrowed for a few seconds, then widened._

_"Oh my god...you're..." Hiei and Toguro's looks became confused, as did the looks of Toru's cronies. _

_"Uh...boss? You know this kid?"_

_"This...is my son..."_

Nobody said a word. It was as if the entire block had gone completely silent. Kurama stared at the man, eyes widening as he took in the features. Emerald eyes, just a few shades darker than his own, hair the same texture, nose the same shape, the similarities were undeniable. The teen struggled to remember his face, where and if he had seen it before. The only thing that came up was a foggy haze and absolute terror. He didn't know why, but his entire body began to shake in fear.

_The same fear…after those dreams…_

Toru moved both hands up to hold Kurama's face, eyes still taking in every detail of it.

"Shuichi…you're still alive…" Shaking his head, the redhead stepped away from the hands. They felt strange and foreign, like they didn't belong. Like they weren't even real.

"I'm…I don't know who you are…" A string of emotions crossed over Toru's face, the main one being shock. He reached for Kurama again, almost touching his face.

"Shuichi-" Squeezing his eyes shut to try and block the fear, Kurama clenched his fists.

"Please just go away!" Toru's eyes widened and Kurama turned towards the car, Hiei and Toguro right behind him. The other male lunged forward and grabbed the teen's arm.

"Shuichi, wait!" Flinching at the grip, Kurama yanked back on his arm.

"Let go of me!" Toru opened his mouth to speak when the edge of a hand was suddenly driven into his neck, choking him, at the same time someone grabbed his wrist in a rough grip. The man choked and fell to his knees, one hand grasping his throat and the other in Hiei's grip. The crime lord looked completely calm as he watched the man cough and gasp for air.

"Kurama, are you all right." Startled, the redhead nodded.

"Good. Toguro, take Kurama back to the car. I'll be there in a few seconds."

"Hey!" The three guys that had been with Toru started forward but were subdued by Toguro stepping in their way and cracking his knuckles. Kneeling down, Hiei gripped the other male's shirt and lifted it just enough to show a long, jagged scar. He lowered his voice to a hiss that only Toru could hear.

"They're still not my style." Letting the shirt and wrist fall, the crime lord stood and headed towards the car. Kurama gave him a surprised and somewhat frightened glance and he smiled reassuringly.

"Come on." Hiei opened the door for his charge, letting him slip in first. He glanced back at Toru and raised an eyebrow as he noticed the man was being held back by his own cronies.

"Shuichi! Hiei what have you done to my son! _Shuichi_!" Shaking his head, the crime lord slipped in and shut the car door.

"Toguro, go. Don't let him get to you, Kurama. He's a certified druggie. Probably got you confused with someone else. You all right?" The redhead nodded a bit shakily.

"Y-yeah. J-just a bit…startled, I guess." Hiei nodded and held out one of his hands.

"Let me see your arm. Where is your therapists office?"

"Huh? O-oh, it's the office building on Shoufuu Drive (kudos to anyone who can figure out what 'shoufuu' means)." Toguro, behind the wheel, nodded and changed their course. Meanwhile, Hiei took Kurama's arm and checked the wrist for bruises. A rather nice dark one was already forming in the shape of someone's hand.

"That moron. It'll take a while to heal. He grabbed you pretty hard." Kurama nodded slowly, not exactly listening to Hiei's words. He knew he had seen Toru from somewhere, but he didn't know where or when. All he had was the vague feeling of familiarity.

_Was he really…my father?_

He winced as his head suddenly began to ache and raised a hand to try and soothe it when he caught Hiei's eyes. Smiling a bit nervously, he let his arm down and tried not to let it show. Hiei gave him a suspicious look and pulled a cell phone out of his coat, handing it to the teen.

"You should call your therapist."

"O-oh, r-right." Taking the phone, Kurama dialed in the number he was rather familiar with. It rang a few times before someone picked up and a young, chipper female voice spoke up.

"_Moshi moshi! Dr. Daioh's office, how may I help you?"_

"Keiko? It's Shuichi." He could almost hear her brighten up over the phone.

"_Oh! Shuichi-kun! I haven't heard from you in a while! How are you?"_

"I've been better. May I speak to Dr. Daioh?"

"_Oh, yes, of course! How have you been? Is everything all right? Oh, hang on."_ He waited patiently while she spoke into the little intercom that was connected to Botan's office.

"_Dr. Daioh, you have a call. It's from Shuichi. …All right. Shuichi, I'll have to talk to you later. I'm handing you over to Dr. Daioh now."_

"All right. Thank you, Keiko."

"_Anytime."_ There was a click, followed by the sound of someone picking up. A bubbly female voice filled Kurama's ears, making him smile a bit.

"_Shuichi! Long time no see! Er, well, contact, anyway. So, what can this humble and slightly psychotic head shrink do for you?"_ Kurama mentally chuckled. Botan was a bit strange, but she was extremely good at what she did.

"Well, I have a bit of a problem. You know the note you sent me? About my dreams?"

"_Note? Oh, yes! I gave it to your mother. Is something wrong?"_

"Yes, actually. Due to…er…unforeseen and sudden change in plans, I didn't get to read it until about five minutes ago." There was silence over the phone for a few seconds, then Botan's voice picked up again. It had lost its bouncy edge and was now a bit more serious.

"_Did you have another dream?"_

"Yes, this morning."

"_Okay…well, as long as you've been taking your medicine, it shouldn't be too big a problem."_

"Oh…"

"…_You haven't been taking your medicine."_

"I couldn't get to it for about four days or so. I only just now got it." There was another bought of silence

"…_Am I to assume you're on your way here now?"_

"Yes ma'am."

"_Good. Get here as fast as you can. I'll set up everything I need to. Are you coming with anyone?"_

"Yes. A few…ah…friends."

"_Friends? Where's Shiori?"_

"Not feeling well."

"_All right, I'll call her and update her later. Just get here."_

"_Yes ma'am."_ Botan hung up and turned to get everything started when Keiko's voice came over the intercom box on her desk.

"_Dr. Daioh, there's a man here who says he needs to see you immediately."_ Unable to stop the pout that spread across her face, the young doctor pressed a button on the machine.

"Can it wait? I'm really busy!"

"_He says it-"_ The sentence was cut off by a loud gunshot, followed by a scream of pain. Eyes widening, Botan raced to her door and ripped it open to find Keiko on the ground, clutching her shoulder and sobbing. On the other side of her desk, holding a gun, was a man with long black hair and jagged cuts on both cheeks. A steel mask hid most of the gashes. He looked up at Botan, a frighteningly calm look in his eyes.

"It really can't wait, doctor." Before Botan could close her door, he raised the gun and fired it. The blue-haired doctor froze, looking down at her stomach as a deep red stain began to spread over her white blouse. She fell to her knees, one hand going to her stomach. The man stepped over her and into her office, looking around a bit before finding what he was looking for. He pulled out a rather large folder and flipped through it, eyes scanning the information.

"Hm. That's interesting." He glanced over at Botan, whom was trying to get to the fire alarm.

"Thank you doctor, I feel better already." He stepped over her again, purposely stepping on her hand, and left with the folder of information. Botan coughed up a mouthful of blood and tried to crawl towards the fire alarm. She suddenly heard the front door open again and froze. What if he had come back?

"Keiko-chan!" She felt relief flood her as she heard Shuichi's voice. She rolled onto her back and covered the wound in her stomach. Shuichi would take care of them and everything would be all right. She let that thought run through her mind as her vision began to darken considerably.

_Everything will be all right…everything…every…thing…_

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE WHY ARE YOU STILL READING THIS READ THE STORY YOU DUMMY**

Kurama stared out the window, feeling rather miserable. Hiei had told him they couldn't stay with Botan and Keiko, so they were headed back to the crime lord's mansion. The redhead knew why and appreciated the fact that Hiei let him stay with the girls long enough to see them onto the ambulance, but he still couldn't help but feel guilty. Both girls were scared and it would probably be at least an hour if not longer before one of their family members could come stay with them. His shoulders sagged a bit and he let his eyes slip closed.

_I hope they're all right…if they were to die…_

"They'll be fine." Jumping a bit, Kurama turned to give Hiei a surprised look. The crime lord had been watching him again and had probably guessed what he was thinking.

"Whoever shot at them missed anything vital. They'll live. Probably going to have a scar and the blue-haired girl probably won't leave the hospital for a while, but they won't die. So stop looking like it's all your fault." It took a few seconds for the information to be processed, but when it was, Kurama brightened considerably.

"Thank you, Hiei." Hiei nodded and turned to look out his own window.

"We're almost there." Blinking in surprise again, the teen looked out the window to try and pinpoint their surroundings.

"We are?"

"Yup. I figured you were a bit too wrapped up in your thoughts to notice where we were specifically, so I didn't bother to blindfold you."

"So you only reassured me once you knew I wouldn't be able to tell where we were." Now Hiei looked a bit surprised. He stared at Kurama for a few seconds before giving a grim smile and looking out the window again.

"That does sounds like something I'd do, doesn't it. But no, that's not why. I only reassured you just now because I only thought of something to say just now." The teen raised an eyebrow and Hiei chuckled a bit.

"I'm not really one for talking. I've probably talked more to you in the past four days than I have anyone in my entire life, minus Yukina." The look of surprise switched back to being on Kurama's face. He was quiet for a bit, then smiled.

"Thank you." The crime lord shrugged and went to looking out the window.

"Hn. Don't mention it."

_I should probably thank you, actually. I needed someone to talk to._

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?" Before Hiei could answer, the car suddenly jerked to a stop and Hiei glared up at Toguro.

"What was that for?"

"I think we have some serious problems." Hiei growled and moved forward, scanning what was in front of them. His face suddenly became gravely serious and he opened his door, stepping out. Kurama frowned a bit in concern.

"Hiei?"

"Kurama, stay in the car. Do not come out unless I tell you. Understood?"

"Yes, but what-" Kurama was cut off as Hiei closed the door. Toguro got out as well, slamming his door shut. The shorter of the males walked towards the thing that was blocking their path: a rather fancy, black car. There were a few men standing around it, all well dressed and rather large. One of them stepped back and opened one of the doors, allowing Hiei access. The black-haired crime lord gave him a look before slipping in and snorting.

"You know, there were quite a few better times you could have picked to meet up with me. And you could have warned me beforehand." The figure beside him chuckled a bit.

"Ah, but that makes it fun." Hiei snorted again.

"You can't even see the expression on my face, you stupid goat. How the hell could it be 'fun'?" The man chuckled again and reached up, removing pitch-black sunglasses.

"I can feel your aggravation, Hiei. It's in your voice and I can sense it. It's one of the few joys in my life, nowadays." Hiei rolled his eyes and finally looked over at the man next to him.

"Whatever. So what do you want, Yomi?"

"Just wanting to talk to you isn't a good enough reason?"

"If that's all-"

"It's not." The smaller crime lord sighed and flopped back.

"All right. What's the problem."

"Suzaku."

"How could that sorry bastard be a problem?"

"My birds tell me he's rather up in arms, saying you stole something from him. He wants it back." Hiei snorted for the third time, crossing his arms over his chest.

"First off, I didn't steal anything from him. Second, he doesn't even have anything _worth_ stealing. And third, a back-street drug dealer is a 'problem'? I've had more problems with alley-way cats." Yomi nodded slowly, face drawing into a bit of a frown.

"Yes, that was my initial reaction as well. But apparently, he's more influential than we thought. He also has a very intimate understanding of our little circle." Hiei cocked an eyebrow.

"You suspect a parasite then?"

"Everything points to it. Our next question is who." Hiei frowned a bit, then his eyes widened.

"You think I'm…" Yomi looked confused and then surprised. He quickly put up his hands.

"No, no, no! Most certainly not! I wouldn't even _dream_ of questioning your loyalty to us! Kami, no! I sincerely apologize if that ever seemed to be my intention!" Hiei felt his body relax a little. If he had been suspected of being the parasite, there was no doubt in his mind he and everyone he knew would be in danger. Yomi shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"No, I don't suspect you at all. No one in the group does."

"Then who?" Yomi frowned slightly and shook his head.

"We're not sure, but we're looking into it. In the meantime, I would be careful about what I said and who I said it to." Hiei nodded a bit and knocked on the window twice.

"I'll keep my guard up."

"Good. You know where it is?"

"Of course. _Itsu hazumi o ankoku._"

"_O ankoku baindo._" (Kudos to anyone who can figure out what that means). The smaller crime lord nodded again and stepped out as the door was open for him. Toguro was waiting by the front of their car, doing an excellent job of looking intimidating. Yomi's bodyguards moved back into the car and it started up, driving away to wherever Yomi lived. Hiei watched them leave before moving over to the passenger side of the car. Toguro raised an eyebrow.

"Problems?"

"Parasite." The larger male said nothing after that, just slipped into the driver's seat. Hiei slipped in next to him, pulling the seatbelt over his chest and waist.

"Let's go." In the back seat, Kurama felt it was best to stay silent. He folded his hands in his lap and looked down at them silently, not sure what was going on and not sure if it was really any of his concern. The car was silent for a long time, everyone in their own thoughts. Finally, Kurama spoke up hesitantly and a bit quietly.

"H-Hiei?" The crime lord didn't hear him and continued to stare out his window. Swallowing the lump in his throat, the redhead tried again.

"Hiei?" Jerking a bit, Hiei turned and gave him a look as though he had completely forgotten he was back there. Shifting uncomfortably under the gaze, Kurama dropped his eyes to his lap.

"I-I was just…I-I was just wondering who you had been talking to. In the car back there."

"…Yomi. He's another crime lord. He had some interesting information for me." The redhead lifted his eyes once again and tried not to look pathetic and nervous.

"Anything…I should be concerned about?" Hiei was quiet for almost an entire minute, just staring at him. He finally turned back around and spoke.

"No. It's nothing you should worry about." It got silent again and stayed silent all the way back to the mansion. Toguro stopped the car and Hiei stepped out, opening the door for Kurama. He handed the teen his backpack and gave him an emotionless, look.

"It's late. You should go to bed." Blinking in surprise, Kurama took his backpack.

"What about you?"

"I have something to take care of."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know." Kurama tried not to look sad and just nodded.

"I take it Toguro-san is going with you."

"Yeah. Do you want me to assign someone to keep you company?" Shaking his head, the redhead smiled a bit.

"I'll be all right. See you when you get back?" Hiei nodded and lingered for a second before sliding back into the back of the car. Kurama stepped back, watching as the black vehicle turned and drove out of the driveway. He couldn't see into the car due to the tinted windows, but he somehow knew the crime lord was looking back at him. He waited until the car was out of sight before heading inside, up to Hiei's room. When he got there, he sighed and set his pack down. He felt exhausted mentally and physically. Somehow, he managed to get changed into a button up shirt that was too big for him and crawled under the covers, almost immediately falling asleep. Outside, meanwhile, Hiei was lost in thought as Toguro drove him to the meeting place. Dark clouds rumbled overhead, threatening a downpour. Hiei didn't hear it at all, however.

_I can't believe it. I wanted to kiss him. I almost did too. I thought that one kiss would get it out of my system. But now…I can't stop thinking about him. …Do I even want to?_

His thoughts continued in a similar fashion all the way up to an abandoned church overlooking the ocean. It sat atop a cliff, lonely and forlorn looking, like I child left behind. It began to rain just as Hiei and Toguro stepped out and up to the front door. Hiei set his face in a determined mask and pulled on a pair of black gloves, pushing the doors open. The church was small, as churches go. There was only the congregation room and then a smaller room that belonged to the priest. While the outside was old and falling apart, the inside looked brand new. There was a giant cross in the back and kneeling in front of it was a man in priest robes. He stood and turned as Hiei entered, Toguro closing the door behind him. Hiei nodded to him, walking down the row towards him.

"Evening father." The priest chuckled a bit and nodded to the other male.

"Good evening, my son. Have you come for a confession?"

"Sorry father, but you would have to apply some serious holy water to my soul to purify me of my sins." The man chuckled again and held his hand out to Hiei.

"I do not doubt that." Smirking, Hiei bent down and kissed the black ring on the priest's hand. The man in front of him gave a bit of a twisted smile.

"_Itsu hazumi o ankoku._"

"_O ankoku baindo._" The priest nodded and motioned to the back wall.

"They haven't started. They're waiting on you. You're actually a bit earlier than they expected." Hiei snorted and followed him to the cross.

"I _can_ be on time. I just don't usually feel like it." The priest chuckled and tapped a brick beside the cross. It went in with a grinding noise and the wall swung open a bit to reveal a stone passageway with stairs that led down a rather long way. Hiei nodded to the priest and started down, Toguro following him. The wall swung shut behind them, leaving the only light carefully placed torches down the way. Hiei snorted at the dramatic flair and walked down at his normal pace. They eventually reached another wall and he turned to the column the stairs circled around and tapped three bricks in a certain order. A portion of the wall jutted out and split in half, each half sliding in a different direction to show a rather modern elevator, a sharp contrast to the near medieval surrounding. Sneering a bit, Hiei glanced back at his comrade.

"I forgot how much of a dramatic flair this place has." Toguro gave a bit of a grin and they both stepped in. The elevator closed and a screen on the wall flickered to life to show a pretty woman with blue hair.

"Bonsowa-ru. How may I help you?" Hiei removed his glove to show a silver ring with a black gem on it.

"_Itsu hazumi o ankoku._"

"_O ankoku baindo._ Welcome back Hiei-sama."

"Hn. Whatever." The screen flickered off and the elevator began moving down. It was completely silent, no one there having any patience for elevator music. When it finally stopped and the doors slid open, it showed a waiting room with six other men. Most of them were fairly buff, the only ones not so being a rather feminine male with long aqua hair and Touya. He raised a pale blue eyebrow, but made no comment as Hiei walked by them to a set of doors on the other side of the room. Toguro stayed behind, sitting down in a cushy chair and settling down for a nap.

"Have fun, Hiei-sama." The crime lord made a face and opened the doors, stepping in and shutting them behind him. The room he stepped into was small and had a screen beside yet another door. Rolling his eyes, he pressed a series of buttons and the screen came to life. Sakyo's face smiled at him.

"Hiei. You're early."

"I really hate the security protocols, you know."

"As do I, but unfortunately I am not allowed to change them." Hiei rolled his eyes again as the door slid open to reveal a large, dark room. The only lights were those that stood on nine, black desks. Ignoring the strange looks from the others in the room, Hiei took his place behind one of his desks and laced his fingers, propping his head up on his hands. He let his eyes stray over the others gathered, noting they were missing two of their members.

"Where are Kiril and Eric?" Yomi, not far to his left, shook his head.

"Dead, unfortunately. They had parasites that wasn't removed in time." Hiei winced a bit.

"Poor bastards." There was a moment of silence for the fellow crime lords and then Sakyo spoke up, voice grim.

"Kiril and Eric are unfortunate, but we have other matters to attend to. Such as the matter of not suffering the same fate as our departed comrades. Gentlemen and lady, we have a parasite of our own. Someone in the BBC is leaking information to a pest. With enough information, this 'pest' could unfortunately become a full-blown problem. I would ask that you speak your suspicions." Almost immediately, one of the people there spoke.

"I place Jaganshi-san under scrutiny." Hiei growled low in his throat, but his intimidation tactics did not sway the man.

"He isn't as loyal as the rest of us here. He doesn't give a damn about the BBC and would just as soon watch it burn as he would help it. He's like a stray dog and should not be trusted." There was a murmur throughout the others gathered. Hiei was about to speak when a cold, male voice spoke.

"Tell me, Taro. Do you have any scars?" Hiei could see the man who had spoken and could see the confusion on his face.

"Scars? No, I have no scars."

"Interesting. Because you see, on Hiei's back is a scar. A rather large on at that."

"So? That only means he gets in the way of danger."

"It was his initiation into the BBC." There was deadly silence throughout the entire room. The man who had spoken continued after a bit.

"Pity we don't continue such a tradition. I have my sword with me and I really wouldn't mind giving you a true 'initiation'."

"A little scar doesn't mean-"

"A vote. All who hold Hiei's loyalty in confidence say aye."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Aye."

"Aye." The man who had spoken gave a twisted grin.

"All who hold Taro's loyalty in confidence say aye." It was near silent in the room, the only sound being someone sneezing. The man grinned.

"The ayes have it. Hiei's loyalty is no longer in question. But yours is, Taro." Taro pressed his lips together in a thin line and stood up quickly.

"If you all trust me so little, I'll be on my way. And don't expect me back." No one made a move to stop him as he turned and stormed out the door. Once it closed behind him, Sakyo leaned back and pressed a button on the wall behind him.

"Miyuki, please inform the guards in the other room to kill Mr. Taro when he comes out."

"Yes Sakyo-sama."

"Thank you." Turning back to the rest of the room Sakyo clasped his hands together.

"Now, as I was saying, does anyone else have any suspicions?" The only female of the group spoke up this time.

"I have one."

"If you would be so kind, Mukuro-san."

"That bird of a girl, Murugu. She's knew and has been acting kind of funny, like she's snooping around." Sakyo nodded thoughtfully and looked around.

"Anyone else?" Yomi spoke up this time.

"I've seen this girl. Rather pretty to look at, but annoying. So long as she's gagged she would make a rather decent bed warmer. I second Mukuro's suspicions." Sakyo nodded and looked around the room.

"Anyone else? Son-san?" The man who had risen to Hiei's defense came out of his own thoughts.

"I third them."

"Sensui-san?"

"As well."

"Yomi-san?"

"As well."

"Hiei-san?"

"As well." Sakyo hummed in his throat and pulled out a notepad.

"Very well. I'll send someone to look into it. Meanwhile, we have another issue that is a bit more recent. We are lacking three members, which leaves us very small indeed. I understand Kiril had a successor, but we haven't had the chance to contact them. Eric was still in the process of training his successor, so until they are fully ready, someone here must take over his kingdom. Nominations and volunteers."

"I nominate Son-san."

"I second it." The crime lord nodded and looked over at the man.

"Son-san, do you accept the nomination?" Son regarded them for a bit before nodding.

"I accept them."

"Settled. Son-san will take over Eric's kingdom. Interview of Kiril's successor, same."

"I nominate Sensui-san."

"I second it."

"Do you accept the nomination?"

"I accept them."

"Settled. Taro's kingdom." Mukuro snorted.

"There's something left to take over?" This raised a chuckle from the other occupants of the room and Sakyo smirked.

"Yes, there is. I'm willing to do it myself. Objections? …Very well then. The next matter: successors. Our own." It got rather quiet for a bit, then Mukuro spoke.

"I am in process of training mine. She's promising, and is doing extremely well. Kuwabara Shizuru." The name rang a bell and Hiei frowned, trying to remember it.

_Now where…_

"Very good. Yomi-san?"

"My son, Shura."

"Sensui-san?"

"Kiyoshi Mitari."

"Hiei-san?" The crime lord jerked back into the present and looked up at Sakyo. He knew they wanted to know the name of his successor, but he had none. A certain person entered in his mind and briefly wondered on it.

_Would he…?_

"Unable to say as of yet, but I do have someone in mind. The issue is if they'll agree." The people in the room exchanged glances, but didn't press it. Hiei was the youngest member anyway, so there wasn't as much urgency with his case. Sakyo, however, gave the crime lord a look that was a little annoyed before moving on.

"Son-san?" The battle-scarred male was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"Unfortunately, my successor is already a part of this council. Due to my age and…_stunning_ personality as I'm sure you all are familiar with…" The room chuckled and Son gave his own twisted grin.

"I fear I don't quite see the point in my taking the time and effort to train yet another successor when the one I have has met and gone beyond the standards I placed. As such, you will have to recruit someone else to replace me when I pass on. Unfortunately for you all, I don't intend to leave just yet so you'll have to grit your teeth and pretend to like me for a few more years." Another chuckle rippled through. Son was a bit of a cold-hearted bastard, sarcastic to everyone. He laughed at others misery, was a total fight junkie, always acted like he knew everything (which more often than not was the case), was blunt in delicate matters, insulted people on a regular basis, and pretty much didn't give a damn about anyone else. But they loved him anyway. Were anything to happen to him or were he to die, they would actually feel sad. Were he ever in trouble, none of them would hesitate to help him. It didn't matter that he might not, they still cared for him. Son continued once they finished chuckling.

"When I _do_ pass on, however, I leave my entire kingdom and all of my possessions, including my body, to Hiei." It got very quiet and everyone nodded, having expected that. Hiei was the closest thing Son had to a son. (…His name is pronounced as kind of a mix of 'song' and 'son'. Kind of like 'song' without the 'g' sound at the end. Probably should have clarified that earlier.) Sakyo spoke up after another moment of silence.

"Are there any other issues?" Sensui spoke up this time, voice calm.

"Yes, I have a question for Hiei-san." Everyone turned to the tan man in a bit of surprise. Sensui and Hiei rarely ever talked to each other directly.

"There have been rumors going around that you took the step-son of someone who shirked on his payments to you." Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, that's true." Sensui leveled him with a look.

"The rumors also say you've been carrying him around like a pet."

"You said you had a question."

"I'm just curious as to why you haven't sold him yet. He must be becoming annoying by now, unless he's a decent bed warmer." Hiei bristled up and his scarlet eyes darkened a few shades. He opened his mouth to speak when Sakyo suddenly cut him off.

"Sensui-san, I will stand idly by while you insult Kurama-san." Now everyone turned to look at Sakyo. He didn't falter at all.

"The boy Hiei took, Kurama, is a treasure of a person. He is intelligent, kind-hearted, modest, and able to insult someone in the most dignified way it almost sounds like he's complimenting them. And from what both he and Hiei have told me, he's a very strong fighter." Hiei winced and he rubbed his cheek.

"Don't remind me. That bruise hurt like hell." All heads turned to Hiei now and Son's eyebrow rose.

"He managed to bruise you?"

"Yeah. He's got a hell of a right hook. Not to mention he's got really good aim."

"Oh, yes, the mirror."

"He threw a mirror at you?"

"Among other things, yeah." The battle-scarred male grinned a bit.

"He sounds interesting. I wouldn't mind meeting him." There was a murmur of agreement throughout the room. Anyone able to bruise Hiei had definitely been put on the 'Must Meet' list of everyone in the room. Sakyo and Hiei exchanged looks, the former addressing everyone else.

"If there are no more issues, then I suggest we begin to leave. The matter of Kurama can be addressed later when we're not all exhausted." Everyone stood and began gathering their things, getting ready to leave. Yomi, Mukuro and Sensui all left, Sakyo, Hiei and Son lingering behind. Son came over to Hiei and gave him a bit of a grin.

"Can't believe you actually got _bruised_." Hiei snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It didn't even last that long. Don't think you can start calling me soft-spot again." Son laughed and ruffled the crime lord's hair a bit before turning to leave.

"Take care, socket." Hiei rolled his eyes as Son left. He loved the man, but he refused to let it show. Sakyo gave him a curious look.

"Socket?"

"He's making fun of how my hair sticks straight up. He says it looks like I stuck my finger in an electric socket and it all got shocked up."

"Ah." Straightening the spikes, the younger crime lord gave a casual wave before turning to leave. A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, turning him back around.

"You said there was someone you were going to ask to be your successor."

"Yeah." Sakyo's eyes narrowed and he looked genuinely angry.

"Hiei, I swear to you, if you ask Kurama to be your successor, I'll-"

"Wait, what?! You think I'm going to ask _Kurama_?! Like Hell!" The other crime lord blinked in surprise.

"You're…not going to ask Kurama?" Hiei snarled.

"No!"

"Then…who?" Rolling his eyes, the shorter crime lord snorted.

"I'm asking his alternate personality, Yoko." There was dead silence for a few seconds. Five minutes later, Hiei was glaring at the other man with as much hate as he could muster.

"It's not _that_ funny, Sakyo. Now stop laughing before you die from lack of oxygen."

End of Chapter Nine

A/N: DO NOT BE FOOLED! TORU WILL RETURN! Bleah. Okay, anywho, I do have a master plan behind all this. Also, the first person that disses Son will be thoroughly hated. He just seems like the perfect person to raise Hiei.

Kudos to anyone who can remember what the BBC stands for.

So that's this chapter. Read, review, cast your vote in the poll (it's up in the first A/N for those who don't read), and poke me if I forget to update. Kk, later then!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hm…I wonder if I should really be writing this while listening to Wicked. (Popular, Dancing Through Life and What Is This Feeling, to be specific. …Not the best songs for this kind of thing.) But oh well! **laughs maniacally then begins hacking violently, falling out of her chair and choking on the ground** Urgh…my evil laugh hasn't been used in a while…is rusty… (Is it bad that I've almost memorized Popular? It's possibly the most valley-girl prep-ish song you'll ever find anywhere. And I hate valley girls and preps. But I can't help it! It's a catchy tune. Eh, to make up for it, I've almost got What Is This Feeling memorized. starts humming Wicked songs)

**anon:** Score one for lemon and thanks for reviewing!

**Jewelle2:** Kudos to you! I'll assume that's a second score for a lemon, and thanks for the review!

**rose in bloom8768:** Score three for lemon! Thanks for the review!

**Kuro Mizu-Kitsune:** Hee hee. Glad you liked it, and thanks for the review. As for the OC's question, the ones you're describing are known as Mary-Sues and I cannot begin to describe my deep and utter loathing for them. But if the OC is balanced out and has its strengths and weaknesses (or is only there to make up for body count, like the guy that _was_ in the BBC… **cough cough**), then I don't mind so much. Take Son for example. He's a badass fighter, smart, has a lot of political power (in the crime world) and is rich, but that's because he's in his mid-fifties and has been in gangs since he was very young (four, to be exact), so he's had tons and tons of experience. On the flip side, he's old and has been banged up all to hell. He also has a 'stunning' personality. As for your fanfiction, tell me when you write it 'cause I wanna read it!

**gods sent angel:** Yes, it's the British Broadcasting Channel where they sit around a pretty table, sip tea and inform their viewers on proper flower arrangement. X3 No, just kidding, but that did make me laugh for a few minutes. Glad you like it so much. Thanks for the review and watch the soda, that stuff up your nose hurts like all hell and back.

**Gemenice:** Glad you like it. As for Yoko, you'll have to find out. And as for how long it took me…erm…the first chapter? Three minutes. Second chapter? Five minutes. Everything else? …I'll tell you when I stop making it up as I go along. Thanks for the review!

**Marikalay:** Thank you, that was kind of you. But I like setting goals for myself, so this is fine. And if makes others happy, that's another win for me.

**Lumberjane:** Hm…I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for telling me that and thanks for the review!

**Yuki Hi Hono'o:** X3 I know, I'm evil that way. Hope you enjoy the update!

**lala:** Aw, I'm sorry! Hopefully new chapters will make up for it!

**Kuro Mizu-Kitsune:** Score four for lemon, and good idea. And sorry about fooling you all. I wanted to put in a new chapter, but I want to see how long I can wait too. (strain…ish…killing…me! **wibble**)

**KaL KeY:** I don't intend on dropping this any time soon. Thanks for reviewing!

**Kurochan:** Heh. Another score for the lemon scene. Thanks for reviewing.

**Stelina Miko Kitsune:** _Technically_ Yoko's just Kurama's alternate personality in this story, since it's AU. However, if the readers want to believe he's the King of Thieves residing with Kurama's body, I don't really have any problems with is so long as they know that Yoko and Kurama are two seperate people. As such, it would have to be a seperate soul in Kurama's body. (Also, no, Kurama's not aware that Yoko is the King of Thieves. At least, not fully)

**Chapter Ten**

Kurama sighed and turned onto his other side to stare at the clock. It was almost three in the morning and he couldn't get back to sleep. He had woken up as a rather loud crack of thunder had startled him and now for some reason he couldn't fall back asleep. Growling a bit in frustration, he turned onto his stomach and buried his face into the pillow.

_This is ridiculous! I should be fast asleep by now! Why can't I sleep? What the hell is wrong with me?_

Sighing, he opted for resting his chin on the pillow. The window suddenly crashed open and he jumped in surprise, nearly falling out of the bed. Emerald eyes stared at the wall in fear, then narrowed in anger.

"Stupid storm." Grumbling, the teen pulled the sheets off his body and went over to close the window. As he did, he noticed someone standing in the garden below. The redhead frowned and shielded his eyes against the rain to peer down. The figure was female, from what he could see. She had long hair and wore a long, flowing skirt. He couldn't see their face at all since it was so dark, but she felt familiar for some reason. Leaning forward, he struggled to see her. A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated red hair, almost the same color as his. A second flash showed her staring up at him, face calm but eyes completely insane. Confusion ran through Kurama's mind and he leaned forward to try and see more of her.

_Who…?_

There was another flash of lightning and she was completely gone, as if she had never been there. Kurama blinked in surprise and searched around for her, wishing it was lighter. Suddenly, on the fourth flash of lightning, she was right there, reaching for him with bloody wrists and a murderous look on her face.

"Shuichi!" Eyes widening, the teen gave a cry of surprise and stumbled back, losing balance and falling to the ground ungracefully and painfully. Heart pounding so hard he thought it would explode, he looked back up at the window. There was nothing there except black tree branches. Sighing, he stood and closed the window, quickly locking it. He stepped back and ran his hands through his hair, trying to calm down.

"I thought the medicine would have started working by now." He turned around to go back to bed and nearly screamed as he came face to face with Karasu, blood pouring from infected gashes.

"Want to get rid of us so soon, _aka-koi_?" Clasping a hand over his mouth, Kurama tried to stop himself from screaming. He spun around to try and run and two bloody hands suddenly grabbed his neck, blocking his air. The redhead choked and grabbed the hands, trying to pull them off his neck. The woman in the rain gave him an insane, murderous smile.

"Poor pretty Kurama…we'll make you feel better…" Gasping for air, the teen stumbled and fell to the ground. The hands around his neck tightened as the woman continued to smile at him with that insane expression. Her words were forced as she used all her strength to strangle the boy.

"Mommy…loves you…so _much_!" Tears came to Kurama's eyes and he tried to pull the hands off.

"Kh! H-help…h-help me…s-some…one… H-Hiei…!" The woman gasped in surprise and let go suddenly, disappearing with another flash of lightning. Blinking in surprise, Kurama sat up and looked around. There was no one there. There was no blood on his neck, nor on the carpet, there was nothing to show that anyone had been there.

_It was all…in my head?_

Shaking his head quickly, the teen stood and flopped onto the bed with a tired sigh. He felt physically exhausted, but his mind was far too awake. He sighed again and moved so his head was on the pillows. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door open. Sitting up quickly, he turned to face the door.

"Hiei?" He nearly screamed as he saw Karasu standing there, Hiei's head in one hand.

"Wrong. But don't worry, _aka-koi_, he won't bother you anymore. There's just me here to take care of you."

Kurama bolted up in bed, eyes wide with fear. He looked around frantically, looking for anyone there. The dream, unlike so many others, refused to fade away. Everything he had seen was branded into his brain. The woman, the look on Karasu's face, the hollow look in Hiei's eyes… Shaking his head almost frantically, he curled into himself and covered his ears, trying to force the images to go away.

_It wasn't real it wasn't real it wasn't real it wasn't real it wasn't-_

"Kurama?" Jerking up, it took the teen a few seconds to realize Hiei was standing in the doorway. He blinked in surprise and just stared at him, almost expecting him to be murdered or come at him with a knife. The crime lord looked confused and puzzled as he closed the door behind him and removed his soaking wet jacket.

"What are you doing still up? It's almost three in the morning." Still a bit shaken up, the redhead looked over at the clock and blinked in surprise again. The letters did in fact read two fifty-seven. Shaking his head, he tried to get rid of the images.

"C-couldn't get to sleep." Hiei raised an eyebrow at him as he removed his soaking wet T-shirt and reached for a new one.

"Bad dreams?" Kurama was about to speak, but it turned into a gasp as Hiei turned his back to him. The crime lord stopped and turned back to him, confusion on his face.

"Kurama?"

"Hiei your…I didn't realize…" It took the shorter male a few seconds to realize what he was talking about and when he did, he snorted a bit.

"It's nothing. I've had it for a while. Don't worry about it." Kurama bit his lip as his eyes ran over the giant scar. What surprised him so much was that it didn't look like an accident. The lines were too precise, the image too clear. It was almost like a tattoo, only much more permanent. It was a skull, mouth open in a silent hysterical laugh. The eyes had been 'colored' in except for two spots made to look like the irises. Biting his lip again, the redhead could only imagine the pain one had to go through to get that. He was broken out of his trance as Hiei came over and snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face. Jumping, he blinked in surprise for the third time in a few short minutes and looked up at the crime lord. Hiei raised an eyebrow again and pulled a dry shirt over his head.

"You all right?"

"H-huh?"

"I asked if you were all right. What, never had someone concerned for your health?"

"N-no, nothing like that! Just…"

"Didn't expect me to be."

"No, not at all! I-I just didn't…hear you…" The look on Hiei's face clearly said he didn't fully believe him, but he didn't press it. Instead he sat beside him on the bed and put a hand to his forehead.

"Bad dreams?" Miserably, the redhead nodded. Hiei removed his hand and gave him a serious look.

"Want to tell me about them?"

"I-I don't want to bother you…"

"It's not a bother. Bad for your mental health to keep stuff like that in anyway." Looking down at his hands, Kurama gave a grim smile.

"I can be more screwed up in the head than I already am?" This took Hiei by surprise and he growled, grabbing the boy's face in his hand.

"Don't say that. You're not screwed up in the head. I've seen people worse off than you, believe me." The look of surprise switched to Kurama's face and he looked back down at his lap.

"I…thank you, Hiei." The male snorted a bit.

"Don't mention it. Now, you want to tell me about your dreams?" The redhead hesitated for a few seconds, then began to spill everything he had seen starting from when he had woken up. When he finally finished, Hiei's eyes were wide with clear shock. It was silent for a few seconds before the crime lord finally recovered.

"Feel any better?"

"I…yes…a little…" The crime lord nodded and smiled a bit.

"Didn't I tell you?" Smiling weakly, the teen nodded. Satisfied, Hiei stood to leave. He stopped when someone grabbed his arm, holding him back. He looked down and saw the emotion in Kurama's eyes had changed from happy to frightened.

"Please don't leave me…"

"Leave…Kurama, I'm just going to sleep on the couch." Kurama looked a bit embarrassed and slowly released the crime lord, hands dropping slowly to his lap.

"O-oh…" Hiei regarded him for a few seconds before deciding on his next action.

"Do you…want me to sleep with you? Beside you I mean, not like-" The redhead instantly perked up.

"Would you?" This took Hiei by surprise a bit, but he nodded regardless.

"Sure." Kicking off his shoes, the crime lord slipped into the bed next to the teen. He debated whether or not to try and keep distance between them, eventually deciding to screw it all and pulled the boy into his chest. Kurama cuddled against him gratefully, eyes slipping closed as warmth and protection surrounded him. He fell asleep a few minutes later. Hiei, however, was up for a while afterwards. He was trying very hard to make his mind shut up, telling it that this was only a way to keep the kid from having anymore nightmares.

_Sure it is. And if it had been anyone else, you would be gone by now._

_Shut up. No one asked you._

_Hey, I'm _your_ mind._

_Where's that good side?_

_Do you have _any_ idea how immoral this is?! You're practically taking advantage of him!_

_Kami, put me to sleep now._

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE SORRY FOR THE INTERMISSION FOLKS NOW READ THE STORY**

"Boss, I really don't think this is a good idea." Toru ignored his crony, instead continuing to stride down the allies towards the one person he wanted to talk to. He could feel his blood pounding with anger. The image of his own son not remembering who he was kept repeating in his mind over and over, as did the image of Hiei giving him orders. Orders, like he was his personal slave boy.

_I will wake to the gates of _Hell_ before I let _anyone_ in my family be a slave to that little cocky wet-behind-the-ears son of a bitch!_

The male finally came to a generic steel door with mediocre graffiti painted across it and the walls. Not even bothering to knock, he flung it open and stormed in past the guards stationed there.

"Hey, you can't come in here!"

"Fuck off." Ignoring the cries of protest, he stormed through a rather crowded, rather shady club, heading to one of the backrooms. A few guards posted at the entrance there stopped him.

"Can't get back here without permi-" Toru grabbed the hand in front of him, nearly snapping the wrist in half. He growled dangerously.

"Back. The fuck. _Off_." Shoving past the other one, he threw open the door and stormed down the halls. One of the men from the door slipped ahead of him and ran to a door at the end of the hall, opening it quickly.

"Suzaku-sama! This guy, we couldn't stop him, he-" The man was flung into the wall as Toru stormed in, eyes burning with anger. A rather attractive male with violet eyes and short blonde hair, minus two red bangs, raised an eyebrow as Toru stormed up to him and stopped just in front of the desk before the man.

"You're Otsuko Toru, aren't you. Anything I've done that's made you want to kill you?"

"Whoever said I wanted to kill you."

"You-"

"I don't have time for chitchat. I came because we both have a common enemy that we both want taken down." Suzaku's eyebrow arched a bit higher.

"Do we now."

"Hiei took something from both of us, and now we both want him dead."

"An alliance then. Very well, but before I make any sort of agreement, what do you get out of it?"

"My son." Now Suzaku looked rather interested. He moved from his original position of lounging in his chair to leaning forward a bit.

"Fill my ears."

"I help you get whatever it is he took from you, no questions asked, no favors asked for, no pay, nothing like that, on two conditions."

"Tell me."

"Hiei suffers before dying. I don't care how you do it, pour acid on him, kill his second in command, I don't care, I just want him to suffer." Suzaku's lips twisted into a grin.

"I planned on doing that anyway. And condition number two?"

"He's got a kid with him. Not a toddler or a little brat, he's about fifteen or sixteen. Long red hair, emerald eyes." The drug-dealer smirked a bit.

"Sounds like a girl." Toru growled low in his throat.

"He's not to be harmed. _At all._"

"From what I hear, the boy Hiei has with him is pretty friendly with him." Toru smashed his fist into the desk, leaving a rather impressive dent.

"That cowardly son of a bitch has done something to my son! I'm not going to sit back and watch as he takes advantage of him!" Suzaku moved back a bit, his men reaching for their guns. The room was tense for a bit, everyone waiting for the next move. Finally, Suzaku grinned.

"All right. I'll help you get your son back. And _crush_ Hiei in the process."

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE WOW I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING ACTUALLY**

Hiei gently stroked silky red hair, not sure why he wasn't tired, much less asleep. He had been asleep for two and half hours before waking up at a rather loud thunderclap. Now he couldn't get back to sleep. He didn't even feel tired. He was perfectly content to stroke Kurama's hair, enjoying the feel of it underneath his fingers. Looking down, he watched the strands of fire weave through each of his digits easily. It was like running his hand through water. The form in his arms shifted and twin emerald orbs blinked open sleepily. Hiei paused in his movements, an action that elicited a displeased sound. Grinning a bit, he continued to pet the teen.

"Feel any better?"

"Mm…yes…"

"Good. We should probably get up." Nodding, the redhead sat up a bit slowly and stretched a bit before fluffing his hair back to its original style. He still seemed a bit disoriented, but he was regaining thought. Stretching a bit himself, Hiei sat up and was about to ask the teen if he'd had any more dreams when suddenly a freezing chill ran over his entire body. He froze completely and looked around, eyes wide.

_W-what…was that? A sudden…murderous intent…_

"Hiei? What's wrong?" The crime lord didn't respond for a few seconds, eyes scouring the room for any enemies or any indication to something like it. Upon seeing nothing, he shook his head and rubbing his arms. His body felt like it was slowly freezing from the inside out.

"N-nothing." Frowning a bit, Kurama shifted closer and placed a hand on the other's cheek.

"Hiei, you're freezing!"

"I-it's nothing…" The redhead quickly pulled the other male to his chest, wrapping his arms around him and trying to warm him up. Gratefully, Hiei pressed against the teen in search of warmth. He hated being cold. He was much more partial to warmth. He gave a small sigh of pleasure as warm arms surrounded him and helped thaw the ice that felt like was inside his body. After a few minutes, he pulled back some and gave a bit of a grin.

"Thanks. I really hate feeling cold." Kurama smiled back at him.

"It's not a problem. I owe you for helping get rid of my nightmares." Hiei snorted and grinned.

"Hey, we've all got nightmares. Come on, I'm feeling starved." Chuckling, the redhead nodded and climbed out of the bed, searching around for clean clothes for both of them. Hiei just now realized how little Kurama was wearing and took a few seconds to admire perfectly sculpted legs, hips, and the area where his legs met his back. Kurama gave a small noise of triumph and Hiei decided to tear his eyes away long enough to look up at the other's face. Wouldn't do good to be caught staring. The teen handed Hiei a clean set of clothes and went about getting dressed himself. He glanced over at the crime lord and suddenly paused, face pulling into a bit of a frown.

"Hiei, where'd you get that ring?" Hiei froze and looked over to his hand quickly. There, standing out against his pale skin, was a silver ring with a black crystal engraved into it.

_I forgot to take that off?!_

"It's nothing." Quickly removing it, he dropped it into his pocket and went about getting changed as to hopefully deter the teen from asking any more questions. Though several burned on his mind, Kurama decided to let the subject go and instead grabbed a towel.

"I'm going to take a shower, Hiei. You can go on ahead without me." The crime lord cast him a curious look, but he shrugged and pulled a long-sleeved shirt (black) over his head.

"All right. Meet you down there." Kurama nodded and headed to the bathroom while Hiei headed downstairs. Once the other male was gone, the redhead paused and then went around the room looking for some indication as to what that ring meant.

_Now that I think about it, Sakyo was wearing one as well…it looked a lot like that, too._

Frowning, he began looting through drawers and anything else in the room. There were quite a few miscellaneous shiny things; necklaces, bracelets, jewelry probably obtained through…less than moral actions. There were a few old letters between Hiei and someone named 'Son'. They were written on scraps of paper and the words looked as though they had been scrawled hastily. One of them had a splatter of blood on it, and another was a rather suspicious pink color. Shrugging, he put the letters back and continued to search around. He came across a little black light blue that was sealed with a lock. Frowning, he went back to the jewelry and located a hairpin. In a few seconds, he had gotten the lock open and the book lay open in his hands. He glanced at the door nervously and took the book into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Sitting on the counter, he opened the book and blinked in surprise. There was an entry number written at the top of the first page and a date, but the date looked like it had been added later on in life. The writing was nice and neat, not exactly looking like a style Hiei would write in.

_Entry One – August 13_

_Hiei was nice enough to get me this journal, but he asked me not to ask how or where. Unfortunately, I assume this means he stole it for me. I feel bad about having something that's not rightfully mine, but since Hiei got it for me, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. I've wanted a journal for a long time because I feel there are some things I need to say but I have no one to say them to. Most of the people around us are not the most moral of people and I don't doubt they would mock me for my beliefs and thoughts, may even use them against my brother and me. I've thrown away my cross. It was rather pretty; I found it one day while bringing food back 'home', if it could be called that. After I found it, I found a small pocket Bible. After reading it, I began to wonder if this was God's way of telling me to hold faith in him. I decided to give it a try, since Kami-sama wasn't answering my prayers. I kept both items secret, even from my brother. It went well for a long time. I prayed every night, I prayed whenever Hiei went out, I prayed almost all the time. Then God betrayed me. Hiei went out one night and I prayed for him to return safely. Well, he didn't. He was on his way home when he got jumped by one of the rival gangs. Son found him and had to take him to the hospital. The doctors refused to care for him and he almost died. Luckily, one doctor took care of him and kept him from dieing. After I stopped praying. If this is God treats those who don't worship him, then I don't want to have any part of the Christian religion. I went to the hospital and showed Hiei my Bible and cross and told him everything. Then I opened the window and threw both of them into the street. Hiei seemed surprised, but happy at the same time. He told me I shouldn't have believed that bullshit in the first place and I was better off without. And I do feel better. But now I have nothing to hold onto. _

_Entry Two – September 5_

_I finally gave in. I missed holding my cross so much, I asked Hiei to steal me a necklace I'd seen in a store window one day. He looked surprised and then grabbed his jacket, saying he doubted he'd be able to get it. He left with Son and the others to go to the rumble. I prayed to Kami, hoping I could make up for all I had done. I wished I hadn't asked Hiei to do such a thing, knowing he wouldn't be able to get it. But my nii-san continues to surprise me. He came back, bruised and scratched up and in pretty bad shape. When I went to tend to his wounds, he just growled at me and said religions and beliefs were stupid. Then he shoved the necklace I had asked for into my hand and grumbled how he didn't understand why I needed another necklace when I already had a perfectly good one. I was surprised for a few seconds, then I smiled and kissed his forehead. He growled and refused to look at me, but I know he was happy. Hiei just doesn't show affection the way most people do. This really isn't a healthy environment for him. But what choice do we have?_

_Entry Three – September 16_

_I was cleaning Son's room when I came across a black ring today. It was really beautiful, but at the same time it scared me down to my very core. I was so scared I dropped it and ran out as fast as I could. I must have dropped it on the floor because Son came to find me later, ring in hand. He asked me if I had been snooping around his room. I quickly told him I had just been cleaning up and must have knocked it over on accident. He gave me one of those looks that makes me feel like I'm completely naked and he can see my bare soul. It felt like all my hidden secrets, like everything about me was written all over my body and glowing brightly around me so he could see it clearly. I couldn't look him in the eye and looked down at my feet instead. He lifted my head up and showed me the ring. It was still scary, but somehow it seemed to pale in comparison to what Son could do. He told me that the ring was very special to him and made him part of something greater than himself. I know it sounds silly, but I was honestly shocked. I couldn't imagine anything greater than Son that was in the criminal world. He seemed like the king of it sometimes. I confessed my thoughts to him and he laughed. Not one of those mocking laughs, but one that said he was honestly amused. He pet me and then handed me the ring, asking me to hold onto it for him for a bit. It felt like a king handing a servant girl his crown and asking her to wear it for a bit. I slipped it into my shorts pocket and nodded. He smiled and pet me again, straightening to go look for Hiei. Later on I was looking at it more carefully and I noticed there was a small engraving on the side that revealed a new mystery to me: engraved near the bottom of the jewel so that it was barely noticeably were the letters BBC. _

_Entry Four – October 13_

_I haven't been able to write in so long because there's been so many things happening. Son's still letting me hold onto the ring, but lately he's started asking for it frequently and then disappearing for a while. I still have no idea what 'BBC' means, but I bet it has something to do with wherever he goes. Meanwhile, the other gangs have started acting up more so than usual. Hiei's got so many bruises now I'm afraid one of these days he'll come home and be so beaten up I won't recognize him. I almost don't. Things are getting scarier too. The night after I last wrote, Son suddenly handed me the ring and took Hiei and me, pushing us into the cellar and telling us to hide in there before closing the door. Hiei took my arm and we hid behind some of the crates down there, listening to what was going on just above our heads. We could hear someone break into our house and lots of shouting, even a gunshot. We were right underneath a crack in the floor and a lot of the blood fell into Hiei's eyes. I feel so bad about what I did, but I closed my hands over his mouth to stop him from crying out. I could feel him crying because the tears ran over my hands, but for both our sakes I couldn't remove my hands. There were loud footsteps and even louder shouts. Someone fell and landed on the crack, covering our only source of light. It felt like an eternity. We were both so afraid of being found. We didn't know who had broken in. If it were another gang, we'd be killed or worse. If it was the police, we'd be questioned and moved to another family, away from Son, who was like our father. Whoever had tripped was dragged away, giving us barely any light since the lights upstairs had been turned off. Finally, it grew completely silent. Everyone was gone, and I didn't hear anyone else in the house. I removed my hands slowly and as soon as I did, Hiei gave a strangled cry of pain and fell onto his hands and knees, crying and rubbing his eyes. I tried to comfort him, but there was nothing I could do. I knew the blood must have stung so badly and he had had to sit completely still for so long. I finally managed to get him upstairs to the kitchen and washed his eyes out with water. When he looked at me, I felt like crying. It was like his eyes were completely blood red except for his pupils. And I felt like it was my fault. He collapsed against the sink and began to cry. When I asked him what was wrong, he said it was because he couldn't see well. He said everything looked red. I looked around and felt something hollow in my chest. I told him that to me, everything just looked dark. We went around the house, trying to find out what had happened. There was blood on the floor and the door was smashed, but it didn't look like a rival gang. Decreeing it was the police, we quickly ran. Where police went once, they went again to check the scene. And we didn't want to be there. So we ran, trying to avoid the territories of other gangs. We hid out for almost three weeks, waiting for word from Son or anyone in our gang. Finally, earlier today, while we were swimming across the river, a black car pulled up on the side of the river we had just reached and Son stepped out, grinning at us. He said we looked like a bunch of half-dead, drowned sewer rats. I don't know if I've ever felt so happy. We both ran to him and flung ourselves on him, even Hiei who hates affection of any sort. Son laughed at us and gave us hugs before letting us get into the car. He sat in between us and let us hang onto him. Hiei fell asleep first, so tired from having to protect me those three weeks. Once he was asleep, Son turned to me with a serious expression._

_He asked me if I still had his ring and I quickly pulled it out of my pocket to show him. He smiled and pet me, calling me a good girl. I should have felt stupid, but almost nothing in the world could have made me happier. We got home quickly and I've never felt so happy to see the rundown house. The weeds, the broken shingles, the cracked windows, it all looked familiar. It looked like home. Son took us outside and sprayed us down with a hose, telling us the shower was broken and we'd already gotten his car all dirty, we weren't about to track mud into his house. The water was freezing, but it shocked Hiei back to his normal state and he and Son began arguing rather loudly. I finished washing myself as they practically screamed at each other. Once I was done, Son took the hose and sprayed Hiei in the face. Toguro took me back inside, Hiei's shouts of protest and obscenities following me up to our room. I felt much better, like a warm blanket surrounded me. I found the necklace Hiei had stolen for me and put it on, thanking whatever gods there were that everything was all right. Hiei came up a bit later, completely soaked and in a pretty foul mood. But that was fine._

_I'm going to sleep now. I just want to say it feels so good to be home at last._

"So what entry are you up to." Kurama jumped in surprise, nearly falling off the counter he was on. Hiei was leaning on the doorway, an amused look on his face. Blushing, the redhead quickly closed the journal and looked down.

"I-I'm sorry, i-it wasn't any of my-" Hiei cut him off.

"I asked you a question." The teen blushed even more and fiddled with the edges of the book.

"I-I just finished entry four." The crime lord 'hned' and shifted which leg he was putting his weight on.

"So, guess you know a bit more about us then." Face still red, Kurama swallowed nervously and nodded. He felt bad about having read the journal now. Hiei snorted and moved off the doorway, heading back into the room.

"Get dressed. Breakfast is ready." Blinking a bit in surprise, the teen slipped off the counter and headed back to the bedroom, peering out. Hiei was shifting through things on his desk, looking for something. Sighing, the redhead put the journal down and quickly got dressed in the clothes he had found for himself. He turned to leave when Hiei grabbed his arm and pushed the journal back into his hands. The crime lord gave a bit of a grin and pressed a small silver key into the teen's hand.

"You haven't finished reading it yet." Hiei smirked at the confused look on Kurama's face and turned to the doorway, heading out.

"You coming?" Recovering, Kurama nodded a bit and hurried to catch up. The journal was clutched in his arms, the key in his hand.

End of Chapter Ten

A/N: Next chapter will be reading through the rest of Yukina's journal. Just want to add that I've been listening to What Is This Feeling for the past half hour now (I can almost sing it without missing a line and I haven't look at the lyrics in four months) and I'm currently trapped in my room because we're having people paint our house and they're working on the hallway outside my room.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I feel like I live in an actual house now! **dances happily** Most of our house is finally painted and I'm not trapped in my room anymore! Hoo-hah!

**Chapter Eleven**

Kurama settled into a couch in the den, using the silver key Hiei had given him to open the lock on Yukina's journal. He had finished breakfast a bit ago and decided to finish the journal while Hiei was busy. Opening to the page he had left off, he let his eyes scan the page until they rested on the words 'Entry Five'.

_Entry Five – October 24_

_Things have been rather stirred up lately. Son told us the people who came into our house those weeks ago were the police. They were doing raids throughout the entire neighborhood. Hiei and I were scared, I more so than nii-san. At least, I think I was more scared than Hiei. But sometimes I can't tell with him. I worry about him. He's been going to jail more and more often. It's never more than a night or a few hours, but I still worry. My nii-san is becoming so cold. I'm afraid I'm going to lose him to this world. Something strange happened the other day. I was walking home, taking the route by the river, and I found my old cross. I picked it up and almost immediately dropped it. It was warm. It was a metal cross, and it had been in freezing water for who knows how long and it was warm to touch, as if someone had been holding onto it for dear life. I thought this may be a sign to become Christian again, but then I remembered what 'God' had done to my brother and I hurled it back into the river. I ran home as soon as it hit the water. I don't know why I was afraid, but I suddenly felt as though I had lost all hope of saving my brother from this nightmare. I got home and found Hiei getting ready for another rumble and a new fear filled my chest; Hiei was strong. He could look after himself easily, he could come back from anything. But even though he was my twin, we were worlds apart. I believe in gods and praying and religion. I believed in beauty, art, poetry, the good in people. Hiei had nothing but fighting. That was all he knew. Because he was always protecting me, I could think about other things. But all Hiei knew was how to fight. Fight for territory, fight for dominance, fight for me, fight for food, fight for survival, fight, fight, fight. He could survive in this world. He could easily do it. But me…I couldn't survive here. This wasn't my world, and I wasn't cut out for it like my nii-san. But I couldn't get out of it. Wrapping my fingers around the necklace I had been found with, the sister to the one around Hiei's neck, I asked Hiei to promise me, that if I died, I asked him to promise me he would take my necklace and give it to someone very special to him. He looked shocked that I had said that and looked me over wounds, asking if I was sick. I told him I wasn't and he glared at me, telling me not to worry him. He told me I wasn't going to die, at least not before him. I smiled sadly at him and looked down, unable to meet his eyes anymore. I didn't want to leave my nii-san, but I knew it would be inevitable. I asked him to promise me again. He didn't promise, instead asking me what it was all about. He thought someone was being mean to me and I quickly told him no, asking him again to promise me. He started to say I wasn't going to die, so I pressed on, asking again. He snorted and said it was pointless, saying I was the only person who meant anything to him. I was about to ask him again, but he finally gave in and promised me. I felt happier and gave him a hug, even though I knew he hated affection. He reluctantly hugged me back, but I know he was happy to. He left after that to go to the rumble with Son and I went back to my chores, not exactly happy, but I didn't feel hollow anymore._

_Entry Six – November 18_

_I still haven't figured out what Son's ring means, but I've decided I shouldn't pry too much. Unfortunately, I can't help but be curious. Then just today I found something I don't think I was supposed to find, nor did I really want or mean to. I was cleaning Son's room since I hadn't in a while and I came across a small black book. It was hidden in the back of his closet. I only found it because I had been dusting and I dropped my duster. I was too curious. I picked it up and opened it, then did something I knew I shouldn't do. I pray that the only one who reads this book is me, for if anyone else reads it, I fear something horrible may happen to me, especially if Son reads this. I read it. All of it. I read every last letter, every last word, I read all of it. Inside were detailed descriptions of people being tortured, murdered, raped, broken. But what made horror seep into my chest was that it was all recent. In Son's handwriting. Son had done all of this. The man I looked to for protection and familiarity, the man I knew-I _thought_ would never do such horrible things like this, had done them. Had _written_ about them. Had _enjoyed_ them. I couldn't stop reading it over and over. I guess after the third time I read it, it finally sunk in what it was. I dropped the book back into his closet and ran to my room. Son hasn't found out I read it yet. At least, I don't think he has. If he has he hasn't said anything about it. I haven't told Hiei yet and I don't think I ever will. He doesn't need to know. I'll probably die with this secret._

_Entry Seven – December 1_

_If Son knows I've read the book, he hasn't said anything to me. I feel relieved, yet terrified at the same time. Meanwhile, things are starting to calm down. It's like things are settling back to normal, but I can't get that book out of my mind. It's branded into my brain, each word, each page, each image. But what terrifies me the most is I'm beginning to get used to it. And I'm starting to want more. I've started to wake up in the middle of the night, almost…_craving_ blood. To try and quell it, I've taken up praying again. I don't have my cross, or a Bible, but I have the necklace Hiei stole for me, and it'll have to do. I've managed to keep it hidden from my family so far. Unfortunately, I don't know how long that will last. But it does me good for a bit. Hiei still doesn't know and I pray he never does. _

_Entry Eight – December 10_

_I don't know how or why, but the cravings suddenly stopped entirely. I didn't question it and went about as normal, hoping things would revert to the way they had been before. _

_Entry Nine – December 20_

_Nothing truly interesting has happened in while, and for that I am grateful. Son has been disappearing less and less, spending more time with Hiei now. Yet even though things are going better, I have this feeling of dread in my chest. _

_Entry Ten – January 1_

_The feeling of dread still won't go away, even though nothing bad or out of the ordinary has happened. Something good has even happened. One of the rival gangs, the one that was causing the most problems, has surrendered to Son. They're part of our group now and that's one less enemy. Son was happy about this. He even took the leader off somewhere to discuss the rules of surrender. I'm glad there's one less gang on the streets that could hurt Hiei. He doesn't seem to trust them though, but they seem much nicer to us than I would expect. I guess I should be a little suspicious._

_Entry Eleven – January 5_

_I'm a bit more worried now. The leader of the other gang that joined ours hasn't come back. Son came back, but when asked where the other leader was, he just grinned and went on with whatever he had been doing. He hasn't asked for the ring in a while, and I guess that's fine for now._

_Entry Twelve – January 10_

_I'm scared right now. I was walking home from the grocery store this morning when a patrol car pulled up next to me, slowing down to match my pace. One of the police officers nodded to me, bidding me a good morning. I nodded back to him and kept my eyes straight ahead, refusing to look at him. He began asking me questions about my life, about Son. I kept my mouth shut as tightly as possible, increasing my pace. The one driving sped up to make sure we were still side-by-side. He suddenly asked if I knew of anyone who had disappeared lately. I told them I didn't know what they were talking about and broke into a run. The police officer told his partner to speed up and I went into a back alley, trying to get away from them. I could hear them chasing after me, yelling at me to stop, and I could hear them getting closer. I turned a corner and almost screamed when someone grabbed me and put their hand over my mouth. I was pulled behind a trash bin and Hiei whispered in my ear, telling me to be quiet and not move. The police officers ran past us and Hiei grabbed my hand, dragging me in the opposite direction. We made it to the river and hid underneath the bridge. Once there, Hiei gave me this scary look, asking what I had told them exactly. I told him everything they had asked me and told him exactly what I had said and done. He looked relieved and glanced at the river before resting against the bridge. Confused, I looked at the river as well. There was something odd at the bottom, close to the shore. Curious, I crawled forward a bit then glanced back at my nii-san. His eyes were closed and he looked tired. Since he wasn't looking, I crawled forward again. I looked at the thing, trying to see what it was. I realized what it was a few seconds later and almost threw up. What I was looking at was part of a head. The scalp was torn off, leaving the bone exposed. Wherever there had been hair on the face was ripped off. The eye had been gouged out and a rock had been jammed in the eye socket. I felt nauseous, like I was about to throw up. I'd seen death before, but this was_

_Entry Thirteen – March 8_

_I'm having trouble understanding what happened earlier today. I promised not to write any details because this could be read by anyone, but I can be vague. Son told Hiei and I a lot of secrets today, secrets I believe I shall take with me to my grave. Hiei believes the same as I do. I now know where Son goes, what the ring means, what happened to the body, and so much more. But I'm a bit scared too. Because with this knowledge comes more. Hiei and I are in quite a bit of danger now, but Son has assured us that soon, the police will be unable to lay a finger on us. As for the other gangs, he has told us that they will no longer be so frightening. I can't write any more on this. Not in here. I've written it on another piece of paper, but it is nothing more than ashes now._

_Entry Fourteen – April 2_

_Son's gone off to one of his meetings and everyone else is off at a rumble. Hiei left yesterday and hasn't come back yet. I'm afraid he's dead or badly injured. I can't stop worrying and even now I can barely write. I'm going to go look for him._

Kurama stopped and closed the journal, knowing there weren't any more entries after this. He could still hear Hiei's story in his mind. Sadly, he looked down at the book in his hands. It did give him an idea of what their life must have been like. But it brought forth so many new questions. He knew from reading it that Son and Hiei had the same ring, but what was the connection between them? And what was the BBC?

"There aren't any more entries." Kurama yelped in surprise and fell off the couch. He looked over from his awkward position on the floor and noticed a rather amused Hiei leaning on the back of the furniture. A bit embarrassed, he picked himself up and nodded.

"I-I guessed."

"Well, not there at least." Blinking in surprise, the redhead gave Hiei a curious look.

"What do you mean?" Hiei regarded him for a few seconds before motioning to the book.

"She said she had written more on what Son told us on another piece of paper."

"Yes, but she burned it." The crime lord snorted.

"Yukina hated fire. As if she would burn it."

"But then where-" This question was answered as Hiei pulled a piece of folded up paper. He glanced at it before tossing it to the redhead and straightening up.

"That'll explain a few things. I have to go for a bit. When I get back you can ask me whatever you want about it. Oh, and I want to talk to Yoko when I get back." Kurama blinked in surprise and caught the paper, watching as Hiei grabbed his jacket and left. Looking down at the paper, he noted that Yukina had written on both sides of it. Sitting back on the couch, he unfolded the paper and flipped to the first side of it.

_Entry Thirteen_

_This is the real entry, the one that can't go into my journal. I hope no one reads this besides me. Almost two months ago, I found a body in the river. Hiei told me he believed it was the gang leader that disappeared at the beginning of the year. I shared his belief, but I didn't say anything about it. Then today, Hiei took my hand and led me to the cellar where Son was looking for something. He closed the door behind us and demanded that Son tell us what was going on. Son looked surprised and amused, as if he thought it was a game. Then Hiei showed him the ring, the one Son had told me to hold onto. I don't know when he took it from me, but I shouldn't be surprised. Hiei is the best pickpocket Son has. As soon as he saw the ring, Son knew Hiei wasn't kidding around. He came towards us and I shrunk back, but Hiei stayed strong. He took both of our shoulders and pushed us out of the cellar, directing us to the car outside. He put us both in the back and I've never felt more terrified in my life. Hiei held onto the ring and just glared at Son as he slipped into the driver's seat and started the engine, driving off. Oddly enough, we went to the movie theatre. I know why now, but at the time it seemed ludicrous. We went to a movie that wasn't very good at all. We were the only ones there. Son sat us in the back and sat next to Hiei, suddenly looking very old. He held out his hand and asked for the ring. I know Hiei was suspicious, but he handed it over anyway. Son looked at it for a few minutes, then spoke. He said the ring signified him to be a member of a secret crime organization called the BBC, or Black Book Club. I remembered the book I had found and shivered a bit. Son continued, saying there were nine members and they were the biggest crime lords in the world. The body we had found was in fact the gang leader, but he had been hired by the BBC to steal information. Unfortunately for him, he had never given it to them, demanding far too much for it. So they tortured him for information. Once they had it, they killed him since he had no more use and they had no guarantee he would stay loyal to him. The reason he always left with the ring was because he needed it to get into the meetings held by the BBC. He settled back in his chair, letting us soak up the information. Hiei began asking so many questions, but I stayed quiet for a bit. Son kept talking, trying to answer as many questions as he could. The BBC had been around for generations and was in so deep they were virtually untouchable. They were paid up with the right people and their main weapon was fear. They were cold-hearted and merciless, able to do what was needed. But there were several who wanted them gone, mostly because they were scared to death. The BBC had started as an ancient cult that had worshipped demons and sacrificed people to appease the demon gods. Now in the modern world, they were viewed as demons themselves. This scared me, but at the same time, I almost expected it. I had never seen Son fight, but I'd heard people talking about it after a rumble. They said he was a demon, made only for fighting. The look in his eyes, the way he moved, how anything could turn into a weapon in his hands. They said he would always grin, even if someone was hitting him. _

_They talked about Hiei that way too and I'd always thought that Hiei, in Son's hands, had become a weapon too. I knew he was already learning how to use weapons. Son was teaching him personally. Every time Son chose people to go with him to a rumble, Hiei was always one of the first five people he chose. _

_Son said that whenever a member died, they were always replaced. He paused then, looking at us before turning back to the screen. Hiei finally fell silent, unable to come up with any more questions. I had a few though, and I spoke them aloud. The one burning on my mind was that book. I hesitantly admitted to reading all of it. Hiei looked confused and shocked that I hadn't told him. Son just nodded, his eyes turning to me. He knew I'd read it, but decided not to say anything. He said that he had in fact written it himself, that he'd seen this being done to people. He hadn't participated himself, since he felt there was no fun in making someone feel pain if there wasn't any risk they could do the same to you. So he just observed the other members doing such things and wrote them down as he saw them. He had enjoyed watching a few times, since sometimes he wasn't too fond of the people. I asked him why he let me hold onto the ring and he said because if the police ever arrested everyone, including Hiei and I, while they would tear the house apart and search everyone, they would be reluctant to search me because of how I appeared to people. I looked sweet and innocent, completely oblivious to anything less than moral – and legal. So the ring was safer with me. My next question was why he hadn't told us sooner. Son said nothing for a long time, just stared at the screen. Hiei didn't say anything, curious to what son would say and all that I knew. Finally, Son spoke. He said that he didn't really want to put us in danger and he wanted to make sure we wouldn't say anything if we were caught. He had planned on telling us, but we had confronted him before he could tell us on his own. He then looked a bit guilty, a look that seemed completely alien and almost comical on his features, and said that he had picked us up from the orphanage to train us to become part of the BBC. At least, that was his plan originally. It shifted over the years and he said that he had intended to let Hiei take his place on the BBC and I was to go to a different family, somewhere safe and away from here. But he couldn't find anyone so unconnected from crime that I would never have to see it again that would stay with me for a long time. Hiei asked him why and he looked sheepish again before answering. He said that he wanted his daughter to be happy. We were both struck dumb and he continued, now talking about Hiei. He said he wanted his son to be with those who he could trust and would respect him. At first, I thought he meant he was our biological father, but then what he really meant hit. He had become a father to us and we had become like his children to him. In a rare moment of affection, on all our parts, he brought us into his arms and let us sit in his lap, holding us lovingly. Even Hiei curled up to his chest, accepting the love we had long been forsaken by. We sat this way for what felt like eternity, then Hiei suddenly growled and glared at the screen, commenting on how the sucky dialogue was killing the moment. We laughed and left before it finished, since none of us really wanted to see it at all. I could tell Hiei had only broken the moment because while he craved love, he was still unused to it and uncomfortable with it. I wish I could show him the love he needs, but I can give him nothing more than love from sister to brother. Son can't give him the love he needs either since he's just as new to love as we are. Maybe someday, he'll find someone to give him the love he needs._

Kurama folded the paper back up, mind racing with thoughts. The BBC, the ring, Sakyo, that man Hiei had met up with, Son, Yukina, cult, rituals, there were so many things that made his head ache. One thing that completely confused him though was why did Hiei want to talk to Yoko? How was his alternate personality caught up in all of this? Sighing, the redhead frowned slightly and looked at the objects in his hands. He had so many questions and the only one who could answer them was Hiei.

_But he's gone for who knows how long._

Frowning even more, the redhead slid the paper into the journal and set the book on the ground, laying down and wincing as his head began to throb painfully. Rubbing his temples, he stared up at the ceiling. It was white, a color that didn't seem to fit Hiei's person at all. He jumped a bit as someone suddenly rang the doorbell and reflexively, he went to go answer it. It didn't even occur to him to make sure it wasn't someone dangerous before he opened the door. Standing on the doorstep was a rather…rugged male. He was tall, almost half a foot taller than Kurama. He had black eyes that seemed to know everything. His face was decorated with three long scars going from his forehead down to the other side of his face and no hair on his head, letting a rather jagged scar show. His lips pulled into a smirk and he nodded to the redhead.

"Am I to assume you are Kurama?" Blinking in surprise, Kurama nodded.

"Ah…yes…" The man smirked a bit more and raised a hand, gently caressing Kurama's cheek.

"They didn't exaggerate…" Blushing a bit, Kurama stepped away a bit.

"T-they?" The man chuckled and stepped into the house, shutting the door behind him.

"Sakyo, Hiei, pretty much everyone who's seen you."

"Hiei?" The man gave him an almost teasing look before heading to the den.

"I don't blame Hiei for not mentioning me. I'm not really an important part of his life anymore." Frowning slightly, the redhead followed the other into the den. He could feel curiosity starting to seep through his mind. Who was this man? Said male suddenly stopped and knelt down, picking up the blue journal.

"Now this is something I haven't seen in a long time." Kurama quickly moved forward and took the book, clutching it to his chest.

"Sorry, I forgot to put it up. It's-"

"Yukina's." Kurama's voice stopped immediately and he stared at the other man, confused and surprised.

"H-how…how did you…?" The man grinned and sat on the couch, eyes never leaving Kurama.

"What, she doesn't mention me in her journal?" It only took the teen a few seconds to realize who the man sitting before him was.

"Son…"

"Smart little bird, aren't you." Clamping his mouth shut, Kurama held the journal closer. Son was dangerous, that much he knew. What he didn't know was if he could trust Son or not. He had no idea if this man and Hiei had a good relationship or if they had a falling out, so he didn't know if he was in danger or not.

"Hiei's not here right now…"

"Oh I know that. He's off on…well, he's off doing business. But you can already guess what he's doing, can't you."

"I can guess." Son smirked again.

"I'm sure you can. And I can guess what that look is about. You don't trust me."

"I will when given reason to, but at the moment I have no information to go on and as such I won't be making any decisions." This made the other male laugh. It wasn't cruel or mocking, but honestly amused. He finally stopped and gave Kurama another grin, this one less intimidating.

"All right sweetheart, you can calm down. I'm not going to hurt you. I just had to make sure the person that had caught Hiei's attention was even worthy of it." Still wary, Kurama sat down in a chair opposite of Son. The man just grinned and looked around the room a bit.

"He's redecorated." Kurama looked around as well, noting there were an abundance of plants, but a lack of anything really personal.

"You've been here before?"

"Sweetheart, I used to live here. Gave this house to Hiei, went and got myself a new one. There used to be pictures though. He must have taken them down a while ago." Nodding thoughtfully, the redhead remembered there weren't any pictures in Hiei's room either. At least not of people. There were pictures of nature and scenery, some animals, but no humans.

"Do you know why he doesn't like pictures of people?" Son cocked an eyebrow at him, but answered his question.

"Hiei's not too fond of people in general."

"Then why does he like me so much?" Son paused and stroked his chin, allowing himself to slip into thought over this question. Kurama waited patiently, used to asking questions that took people a bit to answer. Finally, the crime lord spoke.

"You kind of look like her. Yukina, I mean. Your eyes are soft like hers."

"I would think he'd want to get rid of me quickly then." The man shrugged and shook his head a bit.

"It's hard to tell with Hiei sometimes. Thinking about Yukina does hurt, mostly because he's still beating himself up over it." Kurama's head snapped up in surprise and shock.

"But it's-"

"We know that, but understand. Hiei worked keeping Yukina safe into his life so much that when he found her body, the feeling of failure was rooted pretty deeply. It hurts to think about her, but at the same time he doesn't want to forget her. He likes to remember the good things about her, when she was alive. You're pretty much the living, breathing reminder of when she was alive." The redhead snorted a bit and settled into the chair.

"Lovely. I'm a living memoir." Son chuckled a bit, turning his eyes back to the redhead.

"Hey, at least you're the memoir of a good person." Nodding slightly, Kurama looked down at the journal in his arms. He honestly hoped that Hiei didn't like him just because he reminded him of Yukina. He didn't want to be seen as someone other than who he was. It was quiet for a bit and he finally looked up, opening his mouth to say something. However, once he saw Son, his voice died almost immediately. The other man was staring at him intently, black eyes completely focused and serious. The look made Kurama feel as though he was completely stripped down to nothing more than his bare soul. He felt like everything in him, everything about who he was, was written all over his body and burning brightly so Son could read it all. Son suddenly spoke, voice serious.

"Come here. Kneel." Without even thinking about it, Kurama did as he was told. He knelt in front of Son and the man took his face into his hands, looking deep into his eyes as if he were actually _trying_ to read the boy's soul. Kurama swallowed nervously, gripping the fabric of his pants, trying to hide the secrets. The hands that held his face tightened a bit and that shift of movement brought back all of his senses. Everything turned black and Yoko took his place, ripping away from Son's grip and shoving away from him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Son blinked, shock and surprise written on his face as he looked up at the bandit.

"Who are you?"

"Answer the damn question you bastard! What the hell were you trying to pull?!" It took Son a few seconds to recover and when he did, he frowned a bit and stood.

"Tell me who you are. What happened to Kurama." Yoko snarled at the man.

"That's none of your goddamn business!"

"It _is_ my business. Now tell me what happened to Kurama."

"I'll tell you when _you_ answer _my_ question!"

"What the hell did I miss?" The two people in the room turned to see Hiei standing in the doorway, looking rather confused. Son glared a bit at the bandit.

"He did something to Kurama-san." Yoko snarled again in response.

"I'm trying to find out what he _was_ doing to Kurama!" Hiei looked between them and almost smacked himself in the forehead.

"Oh fuck. Son, this is Yoko. Yoko, Son." Now the battle-scarred man looked really confused.

"Yoko? I thought Sakyo said-"

"Kurama has multiple personality syndrome. Yoko is his alternate personality. Yoko, knowing Son, I'm guessing he was just doing his weird-ass 'look into your soul' type thing he does with a lot of people. So neither of you have to be suspicious." The bandit fox didn't relax any and Son kept glaring at the teen as well. Hiei rolled his eyes and grabbed the front of the bandit's shirt, forcing him to look at him.

"Yoko, let me talk to Kurama. I'll keep him safe." Yoko growled, but reluctantly relinquished his control. Kurama blinked in surprise and looked at the other two males.

"Um…what just happened?" Hiei snorted and let go of Kurama's shirt.

"Yoko and Son had a bit of a spat. By the way, in case you haven't been introduced, this is Son." The battle-scarred man looked as though nothing at all had happened and grinned slightly.

"We've introduced ourselves to each other. Yoko, however, was a bit new to me." Kurama blushed a bit and had the decency to look sheepish. Hiei…did not.

"Of course he was. Like it's really any of your business." Son laughed at this and sat back down on the couch grinning.

"Aw, come now Hiei. Why would you keep so many secrets from me?" Hiei snorted and sat down, motioning for the redhead to do the same. Kurama did so a bit awkwardly, not quite sure how he fit into the lives of these two. Son and Hiei chatted for a bit. Well, not really 'chatted' but more of insulted each other. Kurama could tell it was rather affectionate insulting and neither was really bothered by it. After about a half an hour, Son suddenly stood and stretched.

"Well Hiei, while I suffer through your company and enjoy Kurama-san's, I really must get going." Hiei snorted a bit.

"I'd escort you to the door, but I don't want to be around you more than I have to."

"Likewise. See you later, sweetheart. Socket."

"Die in a fire."

"Not before you, you egotistical antisocial brat."

"Takes one to know one." Son grinned and ruffled Hiei's hair, nodding to Kurama, before leaving. Hiei snorted and straightened his hair before rubbing his temples. Kurama cocked his head slightly, concern and curiosity written on his face.

"Something wrong?"

"…A lot of things. You read the paper?" Nodding, the redhead set the journal on the table beside the couch he was on. Hiei nodded in satisfaction and gave him a serious look.

"Can I talk to Yoko for a bit? I'll answer any questions you have afterwards." The teen frowned a bit but called on his alternate personality anyway. Green eyes shifted slightly and Yoko stretched out on the couch a bit.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah. I wanted to ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"…Would you be my successor." The question took Yoko by surprise and he sat up a bit, giving Hiei a slightly confused look.

"Would I what?" Hiei rolled his eyes and snorted.

"Are you deaf? I asked you if you would be my successor. Crime lords often train someone to take their place or inherit their kingdom when they die or retire." Yoko cocked an eyebrow.

"You planning on dying sometime soon?"

"No, not really. But it's a possibility. So will you?" The bandit fox looked thoughtful and he stretched fully on the couch, weighing the positives and negatives of the offer. It was quiet for a while, Hiei waiting for an answer and Yoko coming up with one. Finally, he nodded.

"All right. I'll become your successor or apprentice or whatever you want to call it." Some weight lifted off Hiei's chest and he wondered what it was briefly before shrugging it off and nodding a bit himself.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. I told Kurama, just so you know." The crime lord felt another weight lift. He'd been afraid of the redhead's reaction if he told him.

_That's two things taken care of._

"I'll let Kurama take over again to ask you some questions. Which you'd better answer." Almost tiredly, Hiei nodded.

"I will." The teen's eyes shifted and Kurama gave Hiei an unreadable look. The crime lord settled into the chair he was in, waiting a bit.

"You had questions?"

"Yes. The main one and probably the one with the most obvious answer is are you part of the BBC?"

"Yes."

"Who are the other members?"

"Sakyo, Son, Yomi, Sensui and Mukuro."

"You're missing three members."

"Two died, one deserted. Then died." Kurama winced a bit, but said nothing more on it. He still had a few more questions he wanted answered.

"How did you become part of the BBC? I thought you were to take Son's place, but you're both in it."

"…Long story. Pretty boring too. Essentially, someone in the BBC died and they needed someone to fill the space. My name ended up in the mix and I got nominated."

"And the scar on your back?" Hiei was quiet for a while, eyes unfocused for a few seconds before he came back to reality.

"My initiation. Son has one, as do the others I mentioned. They stopped the ritual when it killed a potential member. It's a brand, essentially." Kurama nodded and fell silent. He still had a few questions, but they didn't feel as important anymore. Hiei seemed a bit surprised that the teen was done so soon.

"You figured most of it out on your own?"

"…Yes, actually."

"Hm. Should have guessed. Anything else?" Kurama looked thoughtful for a second, then moved over to stand in front of Hiei, leaning down and kissing his forehead.

"No, but thank you." He straightened up and left to go find something to entertain himself with. Hiei watched him leave, a bit surprised at the affection gesture but not complaining. He grinned a bit and reached into his pocket, pulling out a rather special item to him.

"…Maybe I will give it to him."

End of Chapter Eleven

A/N: …I have nothing to say. Other than I'm not listening to Wicked. Well, it's Kelly Clarkson, which isn't that much of an improvement. Toodles!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Erm…still not much to say. Switching off Kelly Clarkson because it's pissing me off and the only song she has that I like is 'Breakaway'. Save me, Techno Party! Also, I have this really big, painful bump on my head because I was trying to get some bookshelves out of my room as to not jam my foot into them (again) and my feet got tangled up in the bars so I had to let one go and fall. Of course, I smashed my head directly into the corner of a door, which really hurt. And I bruised my knee by jamming it into my desk. And my back is really sore from fixing our garage door and I'm having trouble thinking straight. Guh. May go to bed early.

**Chapter Twelve**

Hiei stared up at his ceiling, absentmindedly stroking Kurama's hair. The redhead had been worried about having a nightmare akin to the one the night before, so he asked Hiei to sleep next to him again. The crime lord had no qualms with this, was even secretly pleased. He liked stroking the redhead's hair. In his other hand was Yukina's necklace. He was running his thumb over the crystal, almost as if he were coaxing answers from it. He _wanted_ to give it to Kurama, but he didn't know if the teen would accept it, knowing what it was. Sighing, he stopped rubbing it and just held it in his hand, letting his mind run around freely. At some point he glanced at the clock and sighed again. It was four in the morning and he'd barely slept at all. Rolling onto his side, he pulled Kurama into his chest and let his eyes begin to drift closed. He knew he should get at least _some_ sleep. Of course, an hour later, he gave up on it entirely. Sitting up, he gently laid Kurama back down in the bed and just watched him for a few seconds before leaning forward a bit. He secured the necklace around the redhead's neck, pulling back to admire how it looked. Luckily, it fit Kurama's neck quite well. Leaning forward, he returned the gesture Kurama had shown him earlier that day by pressing his lips to the other's forehead. He pulled back and stood, going to find clothes. He had just shrugged on his jacket when a voice interrupted his actions.

"Couldn't sleep?" The crime lord turned back to see Kurama sitting on the bed, legs pulled up to his chest. He looked curious and a bit sad at the same time. Nodding, the black-haired male turned to face the teen fully.

"Figured getting started on today's work early was better than falling asleep when I needed to get up." Kurama nodded. He hadn't yet noticed that necklace, and for that Hiei was grateful. He didn't want to have the gift rejected before Kurama could think about it fully.

"Are you going out then?"

"Yeah. Might be gone for a day or two. I'll call someone to keep you company, if you like, since I'm taking Toguro with me."

"No, that's all right. I can find ways to amuse myself. I discovered the library yesterday and found a few books that looked interesting. But thank you for offering. Will you need Yoko for anything?"

"Not yet. I have a question though. I know you need to take the medicine for the dreams and your schizophrenia, but will the medicine suppress Yoko?" The redhead cocked his head as he thought, emerald eyes traveling upwards slightly. Hiei had noticed the teen did that when he was thinking during a conversation. When there was something he'd come up with on his own or he was lost in thought, he would just stare straight ahead, emerald eyes distant and thoughtful. Snapping away from such thoughts, the crime lord turned his attention back to the matter at hand. Finally, Kurama came back and shook his head.

"No, I don't think it will. It worked the last time because he was compliant, but if he rejects the effects of the medicine, it won't effect him." Hiei nodded, feeling his chest lighten. He didn't want to endanger Kurama any for his own selfish gain.

"Just wanted to check. I'll see you when you get back." He turned to leave, but the teen's voice stopped him a second time.

"Hiei-!" He paused and glanced over his shoulder. Kurama turned a light shade of pink and looked down at his knees.

"I…um…just…come back, okay?" Hiei was silent for a bit, then grinned. He moved over to the teen, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Kurama's forehead.

"All right." The redhead's blush darkened a few shades and Hiei grinned again before heading off.

"See you when I get back, Kura." Kurama's head snapped up, but Hiei was already gone. He couldn't suppress the smile that tickled his lips and gave into it a bit before laying back down. As he did, something attached to his neck rolled up under his chin and he sat up again in confusion, hand going to the necklace. His fingers found something round, almost completely spherical. He lifted it up so he could see it and his eyes widened as they caught sight of a perfect crystal, identical to the one around Hiei's neck. Immediately, he moved to take it off, but he paused and let his hands down slowly. Even if he didn't think so, he was obviously important to Hiei somehow. Besides, the crystal was Hiei's to give to whomever he wanted. Kurama frowned at his own thoughts, flopping back onto the pillows.

_But I'm not that important to him! He's probably…just not sure._

Sure enough to give you the necklace in the first place. It belonged to Yukina; it was one of the only things he had left of her.

_Then he shouldn't have given it to me! If it reminds him of Yukina-_

It reminds him of the promise he made to her. Whether you believe so or not, you are important to him. Probably the most important person in his life.

_At the mo-wait a sec, who are you anyway?_

Uh…anyway, Kurama eventually drifted back to sleep, but it was short-lived. (Er…lasted…something like that.) The necklace and thoughts of Hiei continued to plague his mind and he woke up a bit later, deciding he might as well get out of bed now. Glancing at the clock, he groaned and put a pillow over his face.

"At four thirty in the morning no less…" The words were muffled into the object. It was eventually removed from his face and he got up fully, going to take a cold shower to wake up a bit more. He debated whether or not to remove the necklace to bathe, but when the thought of losing it entered his mind, it remained around his neck. Sighing a bit happily as the cool water ran over his flesh, the redhead quickly bathed and let his mind wander over to thoughts of Hiei. And Yukina's journal.

_She was right about a lot of things, but one thing she was dead on about was Hiei _does_ need someone who can show him affection._

"I'm assuming you're going to try and fill that spot." Turning slightly, Kurama noticed Yoko sitting on the small ledge that was in the shower. The bandit fox was soaking wet, fox ears flicking off stray droplets and silver tail looking much darker and much less fluffy. Smiling at the image, Kurama turned back to washing his hair.

"I'm not sure yet." Yoko snorted and leaned against the wall behind him.

"Don't give me that. You want to."

"Well…"

"You _really_ want to." Sighing, the teen rested his forehead against the wall in front of him.

"Yeah. I do." Normally, Yoko would gloat over his victory, but now felt like a bad time to gloat. So instead he just gently wrapped his arms around Kurama's shoulders and rested his head against the boy's.

"It's understandable. I mean, you've always been attracted to guys. And you've always had an affinity for the bad-boy type, a category Hiei's pretty firmly placed into." Kurama nodded, leaning back against his alternate personality. One might question how this was physically possible, since Yoko wasn't really there, but he existed in Kurama's mind, which was enough. The two were quiet for a bit until Yoko released the boy so he could finish his shower. When they stepped out, Yoko crouched onto all fours and shook himself off like a canine. Laughing a bit, Kurama shielded his face a bit.

"Yoko!" The bandit ignored him and moved onto the counter, beginning to pull tangles out of his tail with his teeth. Kurama laughed at him again and he growled.

"Oi, it's tough being human diplomat all the time! I'm a fox demon, don't forget!" This only made the teen laugh even more. He wrapped a towel around his chest, a habit he'd picked up from bathing with his mother, and handed his alternate personality a brush.

"Here, use this." Yoko stuck his tongue out at the thing and continued to preen himself. Kurama just shook his head and went out into the bedroom, intent on finding clean clothes to wear. Once dressed, he lingered on the thought of breakfast and, deciding to at least eat something, headed to the kitchen. He had managed to map out the house a bit while he'd been there and now knew where to find the things he needed. A few places he preferred not to go, such as the rooms for the people who worked for Hiei and lived in the house. Some of Hiei's lackeys lived in a barracks house a mile away or so, while others lived in the actual city and came whenever Hiei called on them. Kurama knew this mainly because Toguro had informed him of it the day Hiei was gone. Upon arriving in the kitchen, he found he wasn't the only person in there. Warily, Kurama stepped into the room and headed for the refrigerator. The other person in the room looked up from whatever he had been eating and blinked in surprise.

"Hello?" Kurama paused and turned to glance at the other (now obvious) male.

"Good morning." The person was silent for a second, then suddenly perked up.

"Oh! You're Hiei-sama's…er…friend, Kurama!" Figuring he was fairly safe, the teen turned to face the stranger.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I haven't the faintest idea as to who you are." The figure leapt up, stumbling over apologies. He hurried over to the door and turned the lights onto their lowest setting so Kurama could see the male better. He had blue hair, but his bangs were black. His wide eyes were a deep, deep brown, black when there wasn't much light. Able to see him now, Kurama noticed the boy wasn't much older than himself. The blue-haired male smiled and held out his hand.

"I'm Puuri, nicknamed Puu." Smiling a bit himself, the redhead accepted the hand.

"Well, you know my name, but for the sake of formality, I'm Shuichi, nicknamed Kurama." The boy looked surprised and he cocked his head a fraction.

"Kurama's your nickname? I thought it was your real name!" The redhead laughed and turned to get himself something to eat.

"For as much as people call me Kurama, it may as well be my nickname. The only one that really calls me Shuichi is my mother. Even my teachers sometimes forget my birth name." Puu looked rather horrified.

"I would think it would feel awful for people to forget your name!"

"It's fine, really. I don't mind. Kurama sounds just as good as Shuichi and they're both part of who I am. Besides, Shuichi sounds too formal for my tastes."

"But it's a pretty name." Immediately, Puu blushed a deep red and began speaking quickly, tripping over his own tongue.

"I-I-I didn't mean…i-it's not like…I-I would never…" He suddenly looked horrified and began speaking even quicker.

"I-I didn't mean that! O-of course I would! Wait, I-I mean I-I-" Kurama laughed again, effectively halting Puu's frantic attempt at explaining what he meant.

"Calm down, it's all right. I understand what you mean." The blue-haired boy looked relieved at this and sat back down, still rather flustered.

"I-I'm really sorry. I try not to talk so much, but…well…a-anyway, I didn't mean to insult you."

"Oh, lesser people than you have done worse and in a shorter amount of time." The boy smiled sheepishly.

"There are people lesser than me?" Cocking his head, Kurama frowned slightly.

"Not very confident, are you."

"N-no, not really. I-I mean, I try to be, b-but every time I work up the c-courage to do something, m-my mind keeps reminding me that Hiei-sama would have worked it up immediately and…all my courage goes…poof."

"You feel intimidated by Hiei?"

"Um…I guess so…" Kurama cocked his head and let his eyes fade out of focus for a bit as he thought. Finally, he shook his head.

"Hiei's not that bad. He's scarier when you don't stand up to him because if you don't, he just pushes you around a lot."

"I-I know, but…well…he's _Hiei_." Kurama chuckled a bit and moved to the table, sitting across from the boy.

"True, but aren't I Kurama and aren't you Puu?"

"Yes…but…" The redhead cocked his head again and gave him a curious look.

"But what?" The boy looked a bit uncomfortable, then suddenly burst into speech.

"B-but Kurama's very pretty and kind-hearted and strong and can stand up to a person like Hiei and Puu's…not…" Kurama smiled again and gave a light chuckle.

"You think too little of yourself, Puu. So what do you do for Hiei anyway?" Happy to change the subject, the blue-haired teen looked down at his empty bowl.

"I-I'm a messenger for Hiei-sama. I deliver messages Hiei-sama doesn't want other people to know about." Smiling gently, the redhead cocked his head a bit again.

"Are the best Hiei has?" Puu's head snapped up, eyes a bit wide.

"Of course I am! I'm the fastest one here and I always do exactly as Hiei-sama tells me to!" Realizing how arrogant this sounded, the boy looked back down and blushed. Kurama just chuckled.

"See? You're important to Hiei."

"It doesn't feel that way sometimes."

"No, I suppose it doesn't. But Hiei doesn't show appreciation the same way he does other people, so don't worry." Puu looked back up at him, eyes full of awe.

"How do you know so much about Hiei-sama?"

_I read his deceased twin's personal journal._

"I just watch him, and we talk." This only increased Puu's awe. Laughing, Kurama bid the teenaged boy good-bye and left the kitchen with an apple in hand. He headed for the library, intent on reading a few of the books he had found the day before. Settling into one of the couches, he curled up with the book and flipped to the first page of a book called 'Outfoxed' (1).

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN LINE OUTFOXED IS A GOOD BOOK YOU OUGHT TO READ IT**

Kurama turned onto his side and sighed. He had spent almost the entire day reading (the rest was spent talking to Puu) and it was now extremely late at night. Or very early in the morning, depending on how you view things. He had worked out his thoughts on Hiei, so that wasn't bothering him anymore, and he'd taken medicine so it wasn't like he was going to have that nightmare again.

_So why can't I go to sleep?!_

Groaning in frustration, he rolled back onto his stomach and glared at the backboard of the bed he was currently in. In this position, he actually found he was able to drift off a bit. That is, until a hand closed over his mouth and the body of an obvious male pinned him down. Struggling, he tried to rip the hand off his mouth with little success. A familiar, chilling voice cooed in his ear.

"You don't seem very happy to see me, _aka-koi_." Freezing, the redhead felt his eyes grow wide. Then, without hesitating, he fell unconscious and let Yoko take over. The bandit didn't waste a second and bit down as hard as he could on Karasu's hand.

"Ow!" Elbowing the man in the neck, Yoko shoved him off the bed and grabbed one of the katanas Hiei kept around the bed. He snarled as he unsheathed the blade, eyes narrowing.

"Like I'd let you try and hurt Kurama!" Glaring up at the bandit, Karasu stood slowly, wary of the sword.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?"

"I'm good at learning as I go along."

"Hn. I didn't realize Kura-chan was a coward." Yoko snarled and just barely contained himself from making the first move. He wanted to wait and see what weapons Karasu had, if any, before making any rash decisions.

"He's smart, unlike you. And _don't_ call him Kura-chan." Karasu's eyes lit up with a sadistic smirk, making Yoko's hair stand on end.

"What if I call him my _aka-koi_?" The bandit's grip on the sword tightened and he growled in his throat.

"Kurama's _not_ yours."

"Not _yet_, but I will have him soon enough."

"As if! He'd rather kill himself than be with you!" Karasu snorted and reached into his pocket casually, pulling out a rather large hand pistol. He cocked it and aimed it at the bandit's head, eyes still grinning.

"Now that's a shame. But unless you want to make good on that promise, I suggest you drop the sword."

"And I suggest you fuck off." Karasu was about to turn when someone drove the handle of a rather large, heavy scythe into the back of his head, quite effectively knocking him out. Yoko narrowed his eyes, about to demand them to identify themselves, when his eyes widened and his jaw dropped, the katana clattering to the floor.

"_Kuronue?!_" The newcomer stepped into the moonlight and waved happily.

"Hi boss!"

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE XD LOL IT'S PUU AND KURONUE**

Yoko sighed and rubbed his sore head. It had been late, so after tying Karasu up and setting one of the guards to watch him, Yoko went to the kitchen for coffee. Luckily, Kuronue had a killer nose when it came to finding coffee (since it was the only thing that kept him up during the day) and had been able to find everything needed. Of course, Puu had come in while this was happening because he couldn't sleep and things got rather…interesting. The poor boy went to protect who he thought was Kurama and Kuronue, thinking he was going to attack his leader, tackled him into the table with the intent to kill. The whole table, which had an open bag of coffee beans, creamer, and a spoon, tipped over onto Yoko, successfully smashing him in the head, spilling coffee beans all of him and on the floor, and covering him in creamer. The spoon, luckily, did not get lodged up his nose. Puu and Kuronue leapt to his aid, Kuronue calling him 'boss' and Puu calling him 'Kurama'. This caused more confusion when Kuronue attempted to correct him. Puu, not knowing about Kurama's MPS, began arguing with him. This caused a rather elevated argument that _somehow_ didn't wake up the rest of the house. Rather pitifully, Yoko crawled out from under the table, thrashed them both due to his being in a bad mood, and demanded there be coffee when he got back from showering. At the moment, he was just stepping out of the shower, hair free of coffee beans and creamer.

_That certainly could have gone better._

Kurama's voice entered his mind, a bit amused.

_Without a doubt. By the way, check the backpack I brought back._

Cocking an eyebrow, Yoko did as he was told and grinned as he pulled out a few items he hadn't seen in a while.

"Kura-chan, you are without a doubt the best." Downstairs, meanwhile, Kuronue and Puu were regarding each other suspiciously from either side of the kitchen. The table had been picked up and everything else cleaned up so that Yoko wouldn't pound them again. But other than that, neither had made a move to go near the other. Or even talk, really. The kitchen door suddenly opened and both males almost fell off their respective counters at the sudden noise. Yoko cocked an eyebrow as he stepped in.

"What's up with you two?" Kuronue opened his mouth to speak, but his voice died in his throat. Standing in the doorway was his boss exactly as he remembered him. Puu looked thoroughly confused, however.

"W-what happened to your hair?! A-and your eyes?!" The bandit blinked and tugged on a strand before letting it go.

"Oh. Well, it's kind of a long story. See, Kurama has multiple personality syndrome and I'm his alternate personality, Yoko.

"But…your hair…"

"He usually let me out. But to give me more of my own…image, he bought silver hair dye for me. And gold colored contacts. That's why my hair and eyes look different." Puu nodded slowly, soaking in the information. He didn't mind. Yoko was every bit as beautiful as Kurama. Instead of strands of liquid fire, it looked like almost pure moonlight. And his eyes…

"And…him?"

"I used to be a leader of a gang. Kuronue was my second in command." The other thief pouted a bit, crossing his arms.

"Wrong. You're _still_ the leader of a gang. Everyone's still loyal to you. We're not active at the moment, but we're still organized." Mulling over this new information, Yoko poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. This seemed a bit much for Puu and he sat at the table, laying his head in his hands.

"When Hiei-sama finds out about this…"

"He knows about Kurama's MPS, but he's not exactly caught up with the whole gang thing." Puu whimpered into his arms and Kuronue, taking pity on the boy, set a cup of coffee in front of him. He sat in a chair himself and gave Yoko a curious look.

"So what's the deal with this 'Hiei-sama' anyway?" Yoko opened his mouth to say something, but tactfully decided to use a bit more delicacy in this situation.

"He's…Kurama's…friend." He suddenly leaned forward and whispered in Kuronue's ear.

"Crush." The thief nodded in understanding.

"Wait, isn't Jaganshi Hiei one of the biggest crime lords in the world?" Sipping his coffee, Yoko nodded. Now Kuronue looked _really_ confused.

"Huh? How'd Kurama-san get mixed up with him?"

"Uh…long story…"

"Where am I gonna go?"

"Er…good point…well, you see, his step-father borrowed money from Hiei…" When Yoko had finally finished, Kuronue just stared at his boss, mouth open in shock. Puu seemed a bit overwhelmed at the whole story as well. Yoko sipped his coffee, ignoring both their reactions and wondering when Hiei would be most likely getting back.

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama blinked as he opened his eyes, a bit surprised that he was back in Hiei's bed. Sitting up, he looked around and, upon noticing nothing unusual, he glanced it the clock. The numbers read ten o' six, the light that signified PM and AM flipped to the latter. Smiling a bit, the teen shrugged off the covers and stood, stretching.

"I guess Yoko can sleep better than I can." It was then that Kurama realized his hair was still silver and he still had the contacts in.

_I'm back, but I still feel like Yoko._

Shaking his head, he pulled the contacts out and headed back to the bathroom to wash out the silver dye. It took a bit to make sure the contacts were properly cleaned and preserved, but it felt kind of good to settle back into the routine of recovering from one of Yoko's romps. He smiled affectionately as the sleepy bandit fox appeared before him.

"So, have any fun?" The fox yawned and wrapped Kurama into a hug, fluffy tail wagging a bit.

"Lot's of fun. Got to hit that sorry bastard, Kuronue knocked him out, had kind of a mix-up with Puu, washed creamer out of your hair, changed my looks, had coffee, talked, and rolled Karasu into the cellar. Puu and Kuronue are looking after him now, just so you know. And there's this kind of long, stone staircase to the bottom. I swear he got a concussion from that." Nodding in satisfaction, Kurama returned the hug before stripping his clothes off.

"Good. It's the least that bastard deserves." Yoko grinned and perched himself on the counter.

"Atta boy, Kura-chan. You are starting to pick up some of my traits."

"Just your better ones. Though I guess that's good, since it means less traits for me to pick up." The bandit fox chuckled and set his voice to a mock pout, though his lips were still pulled into a grin.

"Now that's mean, Kura-chan. I've got a ton of good traits." Kurama laughed and stepped under the water.

"Yes, but unfortunately a lot of them are your looks. Like your ears and your tail."

"And you have _no_ idea how much I wish you could pick those up." Yoko suddenly halted and looked thoughtful.

"Ooh, that'd be a pretty sight. Kura-chan with little red fox ears and a fluffy red fox tail. You'd be uber-cute." Laughing, Kurama let the silver run down his body.

"'Uber'? I've never heard you use that word."

"But you would be. Of course, then you'd have lots of people after you. Hiei would have to fight hard for your affections." The teen laughed again, happy to slip back into the routine of having Yoko be a part of his life again. He missed having someone to talk to, even if there wasn't anyone actually there. Most people thought he was just crazy, but he'd rather be thought crazy than live without Yoko. He finally got all the silver out and came back out, shaking his hair a bit and then drying it with a towel. Yoko was still perched on the counter like some overgrown cat. Though he'd probably take offense to that, since foxes were canines.

"So what's planned for today?"

"I'm not sure…reading, checking in on Kuronue and Puu, making sure Karasu doesn't get out of there, waiting for Hiei to get back." Grinning, the bandit fox's tail wagged mischievously.

"You mean pining over Hiei." Sticking his tongue out at the other, Kurama wrapped a towel around his chest and moved back into the room. Yoko followed him, moving to lay on the bed as he watched the other dress.

"You know, you look really girly when you wrap towels around your chest." Snorting, the redhead continued to look for a pair of pants.

"It makes me feel warmer."

"Hn. You're lucky you've got really great legs, otherwise that wouldn't work on you." Kurama cast a small glare at this alternate personality before pulling a somewhat tight-fitting black T-shirt over his head, pulling on a pair of jeans as well. Yoko had to admire Kurama's fashion sense for a few seconds. Of course, he managed to make almost anything look good, but he often chose things that accented his figure and features, even if he didn't mean to. The black caught the paleness of his skin and the light colors in his hair, while the jeans fit snugly to his hips and fanned out a bit near his feet, making his entire body look rather dainty. Of course, the other thing it did was…

"You look like a girl.' Giving Yoko another glare, Kurama began brushing his hair.

"I'm just more feminine than most boys my age. I'll get over it." Yoko let out a bark of laughter, sitting up.

"Oh please. We both know you've already hit puberty. Come the next five years, ten, you're _still_ going to look better than most women out there."

"I do _not_ look better than most women."

"You've got a body and looks _any_ supermodel would strangle their own father for. If they hadn't already…" Snorting, the redhead briefly admired himself and noted that Yoko was right. He _did_ look rather girly. It was mostly his hair and _that_ he wouldn't _dare_ cut. Not even he was paid to do it. Sighing, he moved to the door and was about to open it when it opened on it's own. He blinked in surprise as he found himself staring into near equally surprised crimson eyes. Hiei recovered and 'hned'.

"Morning." Recovering, Kurama smiled brightly.

"Good morning, Hiei. You're home earlier than I thought you'd be. Did you have a good trip?" Hiei regarded him for a few seconds before nodding.

"I picked something up for you." The happiness on Kurama's face turned to curiosity and he cocked his head.

"Something for me?" Nodding, Hiei moved his arm from behind his back and dropped a small, black fox kit into his arms. Curiosity turned to pleased surprise and Kurama's eyes lit up.

"Hiei, it's adorable!" The crime lord nodded, watching as the redhead cuddled the creature.

"It's a she. We almost ran her over. She's a bit young to be on her own, but there wasn't any mother and I figured you might like her." Cuddling the kit up to his chest, Kurama cooed at her and smiled.

"I do. Thank you so much, Hiei." Snorting, he let his hands slip into his pockets.

"It can get lonely in here, and I've heard pets often make people happier." The teen smiled and let the little fox gnaw playfully on his finger.

"Thank you, Hiei." Leaning down, he kissed the crime lord's forehead. Hiei 'hned', but he looked rather pleased. He jerked his head back to the hallway, question in his eyes.

"By the way, I was directed up here by my own messenger and someone I've never seen you to ask why they're guarding the door to my cellar. And oddly enough, the person I've never seen said, and I quote, 'I'm kind of fuzzy on the details, you better ask Yoko-sama or Kurama-san or whichever he is right now'. Explain?" Nodding, Kurama shifted the fox kit into a more comfortable position and ignored Yoko as the bandit fox looked her over.

"Well, the other man is Kuronue, Yoko's second in command when he was the leader of the gang."

"Come again?"

"And they're guarding the cellar door to make sure Karasu doesn't get out."

"…Karasu. Is in my cellar."

"Well, yes. He tried to rape me again, but Yo-" Hiei, however, was already headed back down the hall, unsheathing a katana that had been strapped to his back. He looked rather murderous. Kurama, still holding the kit, followed him. When they got down there, Kuronue looked half dead while Puu looked awake and perky. Hiei gave the thief a strange look and poked him, watching as he tipped over and fell asleep on the spot.

"…Kurama…"

"Oh, he's rather…ah…nocturnal. He doesn't like being up during the day."

"…Ah. Puu, move." The messenger boy scrambled out of Hiei's way, just barely getting up off his hands and knees. Hiei shoved the cellar door open and peered down, noticing the unconscious male at the bottom of the steps.

"…I take it he was just rolled down there then." Puu peered out at his boss from behind Kurama, possibly the safest place in the house.

"Ah…y-yes Hiei-sama…" Snorting, the crime lord shut the door and locked it.

"Good. Toguro?" Everyone (who was awake) squeaked as the huge man suddenly appeared behind them.

"Yes Hiei-sama?" The crime lord just gave him a look and Toguro nodded, understanding the meaning behind the look. The spectators, however, looked lost. Yoko draped an arm over Kurama's shoulder and squinted, as if trying to see if there was invisible text in the air that Toguro's sunglasses allowed him to read.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Kura." Giving him a bit of a glare, Kurama frowned slightly.

"Yoko, shush."

"You say something, Kurama?" The redhead looked up, blinking. The other three people there were staring at him oddly and he smiled nervously.

"O-oh, no, sorry. Just thinking out loud a bit…um, I'm going to go show Inky(2) around." Hiei cocked an eyebrow.

"Inky?" Smiling down at the kit in his arms, Kurama watched as the little fox wagged her tail.

"It's what I decided to call her. Come on Inky." The kit yapped happily as her name was said and Kurama carried her off, talking to her as he did. Puu stared after him before turning back to Hiei.

"Does he…um…usually talk to animals?" Hiei was silent for a second or two, thinking about what he knew about Yoko.

"…Kind of. So what do we do with him?" He gently nudged Kuronue with his foot. The thief didn't wake up, just rolled onto his other side. Puu spoke up, always eager to help his leader.

"H-he can stay in my room. It's not very big, but I don't use it during the day…" Hiei nodded and turned towards the kitchen.

"You can take him up there. He doesn't look very heavy. I'm going to get some food. By the way, you may want to do something for that bump on your forehead. It looks nasty." A bit embarrassed, Puu nodded. He had gotten said bruise from the very person who was going to be sleeping in his bed when Kuronue had been trying to protect his boss. Sighing, he knelt down and heaved Kuronue onto his shoulders before dragging him upstairs, cursing that his room was on the third floor.

End of Chapter Twelve

A/N: Urgh…I _really_ wanted to do _way_ more chapters, but my brain broke halfway through the second chapter (chapter eleven) and I only barely finished it and did this one. **sobs** I'm so sorry! I'll update as quick as I can to make up for it!

(1)Outfoxed - It's a really good book with really interesting characters, one of my personal favorites, and the first in a trilogy. It's a murder mystery, and one of the best in my eyes. I highly recommend it. Rita Mae Brown wrote it.

(2)Inky – Not my character, actually. She's property of Rita Mae Brown and can be found in Outfoxed, as well as the rest of the trilogy. (The names of the other books escape me save for the second one, which I believe is Hotspur)

A/N Pt. 2: This was written while listening to three songs found on YouTube: Turbo Polka, Motteke! Se-ra-huku, and Waka Laka. Don't ask why, because I have no idea.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hi y'all! **drops suitcase on floor and waves** I'm back! And alive! Well, sort of. Two days on the road kind of fries your brain after a while. But! I return happy because it was a rather successful trip (successful meaning we left before people started getting too snippy at each other) and I had a bit of fun. We saw the Transformers movie (not bad, I actually liked it), had an epic water gun fight, ate at good restaurants, saw pretty fireworks, got caught up in the Doctor Who episodes, and finished off four books all told ('Wicked, the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West', 'Outfoxed', 'Hotspur' and 'Full Cry'.) So here I am, writing yet another chapter for y'all. Enjoy! (And to all those who are curious/worried/etc., yes, my finger is much better and it no longer hurts to type)

Also, I'm afraid the comments are a bit out of order. Sorry to all! It's just a little difficult to sort everything out at the moment, so I'm just replying to comments posted for chapters 13 and 14. (If you replied to both chapters, I'm just replying to your comment in chapter 13)

**KaL KeY:** **gasp** How could I forget Kuronue?! Eheh, just kiddin. I was running out of canon characters, and since you can't have Yoko without Kuronue, I figured I might as well. Thanks for the review!

**Everqueen:** Heh. I figured it'd be fun to have Yoko only appear to Kurama. Thanks for the review!

**Lumberjane:** Thanks, and thanks for the review!

**AppleCrack:** Hm…that I did…well, since I'm not one to go against my word (er…well, actually, I kind of am), I shall find a way to add it! **strikes determined pose, then falls over** Er, wait…didn't I already have rape in here? I know it was in Kurama's dreams, and Karasu at least attempted it…uh, I'll figure it out. Thanks for the review!

**Kuro Mizu-Kitsune:** Woot! Another for the Outfoxed series! As for Kuronue, I'm torn as to what to do with him. I do want him to be with Yoko, as is traditional, but Hiei's not one for sharing and it would make things rather…awkward. Anyway, I'll figure something out. Thanks for the review!

**Snow Ahriman:** Thanks, and thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it.

**Stelina Miko Kitsune:** **sighs dramatically** Sadly, he does not. He is merely an alternate personality (or whatever y'all want to view him as), and as such he only has the ears and tail in Kurama's eyes. Ah well. I'll probably write another story where he's got the ears. Thanks for the review!

**awesomeperson . :3:** Thank you, and thanks for the review!

**rose in bloom8768:** It did hurt, and thank you for your concern.

**pdfish:** Thank you, and I'm sure I can. And don't worry, I don't intend to give up on this for a while. Thanks for the review!

**Gemenice:** Thank you, and thank you for the review! And don't worry, I haven't forgotten it.

**Chapter…**what are we up to now? Oh right,** Thirteen**

Kurama watched as Inky chased after a cricket, yapping at it as it leapt away from her paws. He was currently sitting on the edge of the pond, unopened book in hand. He chuckled a bit as the fox kit missed and ended up somersaulting into a patch of clovers. The fox kit, upon finding it's prey gone, bounded over to it's new guardian, yipping and whining.

"Well, you should expect as much. You have to be sneakier when going after prey. Now come here." Reaching down, Kurama picked the little kit up and placed her into his lap, stroking her fur. She managed to sit still in his lap for a bit, then noticed the carp in the pond and coiled her muscles, ready to pounce. Intercepting her plans, the redhead scooped her into his arms and stood, laughing a bit.

"Oh no you don't. Those are Hiei's fish, not yours."

"I don't mind if she goes after them." Kurama blinked in surprise and his grip on Inky lessened, allowing the kit to slip out and land on the ledge of the pond. Hiei came over to them, two apples in hand. He handed one to Kurama and gave him a bit of a grin.

"I thought you might be hungry." The teen smiled and accepted the food, sitting back down.

"I am, thank you." Hiei sat next to him and they ate in silence for a while, both trying to think of what to say. Inky batted at the surface of the water, eyes narrowing at the koi.

_The crickets may have eluded me, but I _will_ catch this prey!_

"So…" The crime lord looked over at the other, curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes?" Kurama lowered his gaze, shifting a bit nervously.

"I…um…" Hiei waited for him to continue, scarlet eyes never leaving his face. Finally, the redhead sighed and looked the other straight in the eye, utter seriousness in his face.

"Hiei, I'm going to ask you a question and I don't want you to answer immediately. In fact, I'm going back in after I ask it because I want you to think about it. I don't care how long it takes, but when you give me an answer, I want it to be truthful and something you won't regret later." Taken aback, the crime lord nodded slowly. He was curious as to what this question was. Taking a deep breath, Kurama closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"What are your feelings for me?" Hiei's eyes widened in shock and Kurama picked up Inky and carried the wriggling fox kit back inside. He was completely still for almost an entire hour, brain still trying to process all that had been said to him and what the question meant. And his answer to it. Inside, Kurama let Inky run around the house happily, exploring her new home. He felt as though there was a weight on his heart, but it didn't feel like it was really there. It was like some dark cloud that was on the horizon, but had yet to reach where he actually was. A foreshadowing of sorts. He followed Inky mindlessly for an hour or so, watching the kit just run about. After a while he growled irritably at himself and scooped Inky up, dropping his book on the couch.

"Come on. No point in wandering around the house. You and I are going outside." The black fox kit seemed to have no problems with this, even yipped happily. Hiei wasn't outside as they left the house, but Kurama was secretly glad of it. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to be near the other male at the moment. Perhaps it was the fear that Hiei's answer wouldn't be what he hoped it would be. He was so lost in thought, he forgot about the fox kit in his arms, whom was trying to get free. He suddenly came back to the present as she whined rather loudly and he laughed, smiling.

"I'm sorry, Inky. Here." He set her on the ground and let her run off ahead of him, cutting off the path and into the underbrush. He hesitated for a second before following her, navigating through the bushes and other foliage. The fox kit eagerly ran around and checked out her new home with interest. She seemed intent on becoming familiar with every plant in the entire place. He laughed and followed her around, not paying attention to where they were going exactly. They got further and further from the house, going fairly deep into the forest. Kurama watched Inky dart ahead several yards and smiled before heading after her. Suddenly, a hand closed over his mouth while a strong arm was wrapped around his torso, restricting movement of his arms. He struggled against the arms, trying to break free, but they held him. A voice whispered in his ear, the tone almost panicked.

"Shuichi, it's me! Calm down!" Twisting around, the redhead caught sight of green eyes so close in color to his. He stopped struggling, his body relaxing a bit. Toru slowly released him, his limbs lingering in case the teen tried to call for help. As soon as he could, Kurama ripped away from him. The only thing that kept him close was a firm hand grabbing his wrist.

"Don't run away!" Shuichi moved as far away as he could, eyes narrowing and turning cold. His tone was equally icy.

"Let me go." Toru pressed his lips together and gave him an almost pleading look.

"Shuichi, please. Please try and remember me. I don't know what Hiei did to you, but-"

"Hiei didn't do anything to me. I don't know who you are. I've never met you before."

"Shuichi, I'm your father." Turning his face away, Kurama winced as his head began to ache. He tugged lightly on the grip on his wrist, trying futilely to pull away. As expected, the hand didn't lessen any. In fact, it actually tightened and he winced again.

"Please let go of me." Hand tensing, Toru took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak. As he did, Kurama took another step back. The male closed his mouth and scowled, but made no other moves.

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that you don't remember. You were so young when you were taken from us. So…" He reached forward with his free hand. Instinctively, Kurama flinched and the hand froze before falling back to its owner's side. Toru fought the scowl off his face and continued.

"But I thought you would really remember. You were intelligent, brilliant even, for your age. You could speak so much better than your peers, you could even read, and you were barely three years old. You've changed so much, I didn't recognize you. But your eyes…they're like mine…"

"People unrelated can in fact look similar to one another." Toru scoffed.

"Oh please. Who in the world has eyes like yours besides me." When Kurama didn't answer, he took another step forward and was pleased when the redhead didn't move away. He reached up to touch his face, but didn't go through with the action, leaving his arm suspended.

"Your eyes are the only part of you that are so obviously mine. The rest of you…is your mother."

"Nothing on me or part of me is yours, nor anyone else's." Anger clouded Toru's mind and he growled, his grip tightening and hand clenching into a fist. On impulse, he drew his hand back and slapped the redhead across the face with the back of his hand, leaving a rather impressive red mark.

"Be mindful of your tongue! You _are_ mine, and Hiei has no right to you!" There was a heavy silence for a few seconds before Toru realized what he had just done and his eyes widened. Kurama didn't look him in the eye and spoke in a quiet voice.

"You're hurting me. Please let go." Without thinking about it, Toru released his hold and immediately regretted it and the action before it, since Kurama backed away quickly and quite a few steps. Lowering his hands, he tried to resist the urge to collect the boy in his arms and will the pain away.

"Shuichi, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"What are you doing here. This is Hiei's home, and you're not invited." Anger flooded through him again and he took a few steps forward, halting as he saw Kurama shrink back just as quickly. He reigned in his temper and tried to keep his voice calm.

"I came to find you. I won't let Hiei use you as his slave."

"I'm being used as no such thing. Hiei has been very kind and courteous to me, more so than you are in fact." Toru couldn't help but explode verbally, his voice rising to a shout.

"Because he wants something from you! He'll play the good-guy act until he has what he wants and then you'll be thrown away with the trash!" Anger flared in Kurama's eyes and he stormed up to the other, pulling his hand back to slap Toru firmly across the face.

"Regardless of your relation to me, I won't have you talking to Hiei in such a way! He's been very kind to me, kinder than how you've been treating me! So before you claim that Hiei intends to use me for his own pleasure and has only been _acting_ kind, consider how your attitude towards me has looked! You assume someone did something to me since I don't remember you, when it could in fact be because you're either not _worth_ remembering or you did something to me that caused me to not _want_ to remember you! And from how you've treated me so far, I'm going to say that the second choice is more than likely! Not to mention you've tried to take me, not even _bothering_ to check and see if I even _want_ to go with you! So before you say Hiei is trying to hurt me, you should probably realize that you're the one who's _actually_ hurting me!" Toru was completely silent and Kurama, having said what he wanted to, turned around and went off in search of Inky. The black fox kit bounded through the plants, bushy tail wagging as Kurama picked her up.

"Let's go." Turning back to the house, Kurama began to head back. Toru was still silent, staring at the ground, not moving as Kurama passed by him. The redhead relaxed a bit as soon as they were far enough away. Frowning, he shook his head and tried to push thoughts of the man out of his head. However, Toru wasn't really one to give up easily. He watched his son head back to the mansion before turning to leave himself. He refused to let Kurama stay in Hiei's hands. He _would_ take the crime lord down. Suddenly, a small device in his pockets rang, indicating a call. Pulling out his cell phone, the male flipped it open and put it up to his ear.

"Toru."

"_Hi Toru."_ The black-haired criminal inhaled sharply and began heading towards the edges of Hiei's property a bit slower.

"Kita."

"_So you do remember me."_

"How could I forget? You were the only one." The woman on the other end of the phone scoffed.

"_Don't lie to me, Toru. We both know that as soon as I was gone, you were rolling in the hay with someone else. Hell for all I know you were doing that _before_ I left."_

"I never fooled around on you, you know that."

"_I don't know why you didn't, if that really is the truth. Lord knows I fooled around on you enough times. But I didn't call to dredge up old memories."_

"Then why did you call? I'm a little busy." There was silence for a while, then Kita spoke again.

"_I'm getting remarried."_ Toru stopped dead in his tracks and his eyes grew significantly larger.

"You're…" He forced himself to swallow, beginning to walk again.

"Congratulations. I'll send a fruit basket."

"_Toru, it's been fourteen years. I can't spend the rest of my life a divorced, bitter woman."_

"You could remarry me." As soon as the words left his mouth, Toru regretted them. Kita sighed on the other end and he could hear the gentle clink of her bracelets as she ran a hand through her hair.

"_You know I can't do that. Every time I look at you, every time I'm with you, I just…I keep seeing his eyes. The guilt is enough to make me go insane. Ryozo has been-"_

"Oh, so his name's Ryozo. Sounds important and rich."

"_Knock it off. Ryozo has been very good to me. He helped me through rehab, he helped me get over my addiction, he got me a job, he helped pick me up off the ground after…after it."_ 'It' was the event that had happened fourteen years ago that neither could forget. Toru had been happy to be married to Kita. Sure, he had fooled around with others while they were married, going out to pick up a barely legal girl on the street, showing off her wares to whoever would buy. But none of them ever compared to Kita. They were just a warm body to get off on. He had abused her, a fact that pained him every time he thought about it or saw something that reminded him of her. He had abused Shuichi too. They both had. One night, Kita overdosed a bit and a few things in her mind must have snapped. She tried to kill Shuichi, cutting him with a kitchen knife and then chasing after him with it. The police had arrived on time and managed to save him, taking both Kita and Toru to jail. Kita got out first, agreeing to go through extensive rehab. Her only request was that she and Toru were allowed to divorce. This had killed him inside, but he agreed and she walked out of his life almost completely, settling for friendly acquaintance.

"I'm glad. You…deserve it. Someone good." The words sent a stab of pain through Toru's heart, even as he said them.

"_Thank you. You know, not a day goes by that I don't regret what I did to him. To our son. I wish so much I could see him, at least once."_ Toru was quiet, then spoke in a low voice.

"Kita, I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that Shuichi is in horrible danger."

"_Danger-Toru, do you know where Shuichi is?"_

"Yes. And I'm going to save him. Soon."

"_Save him? What are you talking about? What's going on? Where is he?"_

"I'll protect our baby, Kita. I'll protect him this time."

"_Toru, wait! Don't you dare hang-"_ The black-haired male ended the call and turned off his phone, climbing over the fence at the edge of Hiei's property and dropping onto the other side. Somewhere in the city, a pretty, redheaded middle-aged woman pulled her cell phone away from her ear and stared at it.

"What on earth is going on?"

**I AM JUST A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Kurama closed the door behind him, setting Inky on the ground as he did. Hiei and Toguro were gone, probably on business. Puu was nowhere in sight, neither was Kuronue, the latter of whom was probably sleeping. Sighing, the redhead headed for the kitchen and passed the door to the cellar. For some reason, he felt something pull at him, pulling him towards the door. He hesitated for a few seconds before slowly reaching for the handle. He halted, mentally wondering what he was doing, before turning the handle and opening the door all of the way, peering into the darkness at the bottom of the stairwell. He couldn't make anything out, not even Karasu's body. Swallowing nervously, he took a tentative step forward, then another. He didn't know why, but he felt like something was calling him. The stone of the steps was cool on his bare feet as he slowly made his way down. At the bottom, he felt around the walls for a light switch. Luckily, there was a bit of light from the open door. That, however, was suddenly slammed shut. Kurama's head snapped up at the sound, eyes widening at the one accompanying it: the sound of the door locking from the outside. Fear swelled in his chest and the redhead ran for the stairs, only to have something trip him. Kurama gave a soft cry of surprise and fell to the floor, almost smashing his head on the concrete. Before he could get up, a hand pinned his wrists down while another covered his mouth and a familiar, chilling voice whispered in his ear.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" Tensing up, Kurama struggled, trying to get free. Karasu chuckled and shoved his legs apart, settling between them and lying fully on top of the other boy.

"I don't think anyone is going to save you now." Kurama worked his mouth free and hissed.

"They…won't…need to! You're…not…real!" The hands and weight were suddenly gone and Kurama blinked, sitting up shakily. He looked around, trying to see in the darkness. It was hard, since his right eye stung rather badly. Touching that side of his face, he gasped a bit in surprise as his fingers met a warm, sticky substance.

"This is…blood?" He heard a whining noise at the door and stood shakily, heading for the stairs. His head pounded rather loudly and he felt rather dizzy and light-headed. Which was to be expected. He reached the door somehow and felt around for a bit, then his eyes widened in horror as he came across a terrible discovery: _there was no handle on the inside._ Panic filling his chest, he pounded on the door weakly, voice cracking as he tried to call for help. Groaning as his head began to pound, he slid to the floor and clutched the side of his face.

"How long was I out?" He could hear Inky barking and whining on the other side of the door, but it was muffled, sounding far away. Then he heard another sound, one that made his heart go cold with fear. It was at the bottom of the basement, somewhere in the darkness, but it was very much there. And the sound was that of someone or some_thing_ moving around. Kurama felt his breath catch in his throat as he listened in horror. Whatever it was, it was crawling, sounding as if it had six arms, pulling itself and shuffling around. Squeezing his eyes shut, the redhead tried to block it out. He knew it was just his imagination. Then he remembered something else: Karasu was in here, at the bottom of the stairs. And he hadn't been when Kurama went down. Kurama's whole body froze as whatever was down there came to the steps and began to crawl up them. He looked down fearfully, but couldn't see anything. It was too dark; he couldn't even make out shapes. The thing got closer and closer until it was right next to him. He opened his mouth to scream, but a firm hand quickly covered his mouth, muffling his voice. Karasu's voice hissed in his ear.

"You have caused me a lot of trouble." Unable to say or do anything and head beginning to pound again, Kurama made no move to get away as he felt Karasu drag him closer.

"I used to be Hiei's right-hand man, you know. I was second only to Toguro in his eyes. I was once beautiful, almost as much as you. But now…now I'm scarred. Scarred, mangled, and it's all your fault. And yet, I can't stop thinking about you. Thinking about your perfect body pressed to mine intimately, your voice saying my name, your eyes looking at me and me alone. You've put a spell on me. I can't get you out of my mind. Perhaps if I were to take you right here, right now, my lust for you would disappear. There wouldn't be anything new about you; I would grow tired of you. I suppose…there's only one way to find out." Kurama tried to stay conscious, but it was getting harder and harder to not faint.

_How hard did I hit my head? How much blood have I lost?_

He didn't make any move to push Karasu away as the older male removed his mask and kissed him on the lips, tongue probing into his mouth. He suddenly came back to his senses and groaned a bit, trying to push the black-haired male weakly. Growling, Karasu grabbed him by the hair and smashed the back of his head into the wall. The world felt like it was spinning and odd sparkles appeared in front of his eyes, his head pounding so hard it felt like someone was driving a sledgehammer into his skull again and again. Karasu did it again and the redhead nearly fell unconscious, blood staining his hair a darker shade of red. He felt distant from his body, as if he could only feel everything half as much as he normally could. Head reeling, he just barely felt Karasu rip his jeans off and enter him, dry, painful. He could barely lift his arm to make him stop, not that it would have done much anyway. Everything looked and felt fuzzy, as if the world were only half-formed. He could do nothing as Karasu's hand wrapped around his throat, effectively pinning him to the ground, as he ravished him. It took a while for the pain to register in Kurama's brain and even when it did, he couldn't do much about it. His hands went up to his throat, as if just realizing Karasu was choking him, and tried to pry the fingers off. To little success, of course. The more blood he lost, the dizzier he felt. He groaned, his brain feeling like it had exploded and was splattered over the inside of his skull. The world suddenly got much darker, if that was possible, and he couldn't feel or hear anything for what felt like three seconds. Then it was extremely, almost irritatingly bright and someone was kneeling beside him, speaking to him in a gentle, quiet tone.

He couldn't make out any of the words they were saying, or even who it was. He suddenly grinned as the words the person was saying started to sound like an invitation to dance.

"Ooh, that sounds nice…I'm not wearing any shoes though…" The person paused, probably confused, then consulted a few other people behind them. Something around their neck caught Kurama's eye and he reached up to it, fingers brushing a rounded gem. He smiled, giggling deliriously.

"Hee hee! You've got a necklace just like Hiei…Hiei's very pretty…" The person was silent for a while, then shook its head, saying something to the others behind him. Something licked his face and Kurama smiled, reaching up to pet a silky head. He somehow recognized who it was and laughed a bit.

"Hello Inky. How are you today?" The fox kit whined worriedly and licked his face again. The person beside him slid a hand under his torso and knees, lifting him up gently. Inky quickly hopped onto his chest and, now that he was a bit closer to the person's mouth, he could hear them speak irritably to her.

"Inky, get off him!" The fox kit yapped and settled on his stomach, whining lightly. Kurama's eyesight began to come back into focus, as did his understanding of pain. He winced and groaned as his head began that mantra of pounding it had settled into when…something had happened. Kurama blinked in surprise, eyes widening. He couldn't remember what happened. He remembered coming back to the house after walking through the woods with Inky and then…it got all fuzzy. He could remember that his head hurt really, really badly, but that was it. He looked around and saw Hiei above him, carrying him gently.

"Hiei?" The crime lord jumped a bit and looked down at him, scarlet eyes softening.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Wincing, Kurama grabbed his head again.

"Like someone put a grenade in my head and it blew up." Hiei chuckled lightly, shifting him slowly as to not jostle him too much.

"I know the feeling, believe me."

"Mm, I do. What happened?" Sighing a bit, Hiei turned his eyes back to the way they were heading.

"I was hoping you could tell me. I got back a few minutes ago and found Inky whining and scratching at the door to the cellar. I opened it to see what she was trying to get at and found you on that space before the stairs. You were bleeding pretty badly and there was blood on the wall behind you. Can you feel your toes?" It seemed like an odd question and Kurama had to think about it for a few seconds before actually going through with it.

"Um…yes."

"Good. Legs?"

"Yes."

"Arms?"

"Obviously."

"Good. So you probably don't have a concussion."

"Yay me." Hiei chuckled and toed a door open before setting Kurama on a rather comfortable bed. Inky stayed on his stomach, clinging to his shirt a bit. The crime lord pulled out a first aid kit, glancing over at his charge.

"Do you know what happened?" Kurama blinked and frowned lightly, absentmindedly stroking Inky.

"Um…no…I remember coming back in after walking with Inky in the forest…and then everything gets all blurry and fuzzy." His frown suddenly deepened.

"Wait…something important…something I should remember happened in the forest…" Hiei cocked an eyebrow, beginning to sponge the blood off of his face.

"What happened?"

"I…don't remember…" The crime lord snorted and rinsed the cloth he had been using off.

"That must be relaxing. You know there's something you _should_ remember, but you can't remember it."

"It's going to bug me all week."

"Where's Karasu?" The question took Kurama by surprise and he looked up at Hiei.

"Huh?"

"He wasn't in the cellar and you have this bruise on your arm that looks like someone grabbed you. Did he escape?" The redhead blinked and looked down at his wrist, which was indeed bruised in a way that looked like someone had grabbed him roughly.

"I…I don't know…I can't…I don't remember…" Hiei pressed his lips together, eyes hardening a bit. That meant that Karasu was out there somewhere. He cleaned off the rest of Kurama's wounds, bandaging them up as best he could. During the process, Kurama drifted off into a deep sleep, probably because of all the blood he'd lost. Hiei leaned against the counter, just watching him and forming a few theories about what had happened. Once he was sure the redhead was deeply asleep, he moved over to him silently, propping him up a bit before briefly debating whether or not what he was about to do was a good idea. Shaking his head, he slid one hand gently down the boy's pants, feeling his back curve into his legs. He pressed one finger to the boy's entrance and pressed his lips together again as he felt something warm and wet. Pulling his hand back, he felt his blood begin to boil as he looked at the red liquid coating his fingers.

_Damn you, Karasu. I hope you're truly damned to hell. And I hope I get to be the one to send you there._

End of Chapter Thirteen

A/N: Uh…hm. Well, not much to say other than I've started another story. **buries face in arms** I couldn't help it! The gay deer made me do it! But not to worry! I haven't forgotten this story at all! Also, about the whole conversation between Toru and Kita, I know you people don't really care about them all that much, but they and that conversation are pretty damn important. So DEAL!

Also Pt. 2, I saw the newest Harry Potter movie and two things: I _really_ hate Dolores Umbridge (more than I already did) and I love the Weasley twins. I love them in a non-romantically way.

And last and perhaps even least, if anyone can figure out what I mean when I say gay deer and Gerard Way has a blue-eyed boyfriend that's so fine, kudos to them and I'll write them a scene involving anything they want. (You don't have to figure out both, but if you do figure out both, I'll write you two scenes.) Toodles!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hallo Rezensenten und dergleichen! Ich lebe! (konträr zum vorherigen Glauben) …-coughs- Sorry. I recently re-started school (like…almost four weeks ago) and I'm taking German I, so I've been practicing it. Kudos to anyone who can translate that to English. Anywho, I feel king of bad now (reader: Kind of?! What kind of asshole are you?! Me: The worst kind) because I haven't updated in so long. But take heart! I have _not_ forgotten this story! I just have a bitch-load of stuff to do and my brain has been gettin' stole. So I'm sorry for not updating in so long!

**KaL KeY:** Thanks, and thanks for the review!

**Tala ishtar:** Thanks, and sorry it took so long to get up. Thanks for the review!

**Snow Ahriman:** Heh. Hope you get to see the movie as well. And sorry it's taken me this long to write the next chapter. I've been busy, what with my (new) school. Thanks for the review!

**AppleCrack:** Don't worry, I won't forget this story. It's the longest one I've ever written. And yay! I'm putting drugs up on the internet! Don't tell the cops. **coughs and looks around shiftily** Thanks for the review!

**Gemenice:** Thanks! (Better late than never, at least) Thanks! And you'll find out what happened to Kurama later (or perhaps not. Depends on if I'm feeling particularly maniacal.). Thanks again, and thanks for the review!

**anonymous:** Thanks, and thanks for the review! Sorry it took so long!

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Kurama struggled against the hands that held him. He couldn't scream or cry out or even say anything, a black hand over his mouth keeping him from making any sound. He was in a world filled with darkness, the hands just coming out of nowhere, holding him down, keeping him silent. He could see himself, clothed entirely in a faintly glowing white. Suddenly, a creature with red eyes appeared below him and grabbed his ankle. It was like his touch spread a disease. The white cloth started turning black and it felt like a fire spread with it. The creature started crawling up his body, followed by two similar creatures, one with brown eyes and one with emerald green eyes. They crawled up his body, turning his clothes black completely. It felt like he was burning and freezing to death all at once. The brown-eyed one grabbed his shirt, the green-eyed one his wrist, and the first one, the one with scarlet eyes, threaded his fingers through his hair, almost cradling his head. Suddenly, their heads morphed, their eyes staying the same. Kurama's eyes widened as Hiei, Yusuke, and Toru's faces appeared. A voice from somewhere that felt far away spoke, hissing in his ear._

"_Choose. You can't have them all. You may only choose one. Will you choose family, friends, or him? Decide!" Toru spoke, his voice not seeming his, a mixture of screaming and speaking gently._

"_Don't abandon us, Shuichi. We love you. Come with us. Don't you want to know where you come from? Don't you want to know yourself? To know us? Your real family? We are your blood." Yusuke's grip on his shirt tightened and the teen spoke, his voice the same mixture._

"_You don't know them! They've only hurt you so far! What has being with them done for you? You've only gotten hurt! Come back to us! We'll protect you! Me and Kuwabara, we'll protect you! We always have!" _

"_Blood is thicker than water. Come back to your family."_

"_We won't let them hurt you! We'll take care of you!"_

_  
"We love you."_

"We_ love you!"_

"_Come with us."_

"_Come with us!" The voices rose to screaming, yet it felt like there was an absence of noise inside Kurama's head. He wanted to scream himself to fill the void of sound. Suddenly, a soft, calming voice entered his head, filling the void._

"_Kurama." Jerking, he turned and looked to Hiei. The other's crimson eyes were more full of emotion than Kurama had ever seen them. A single tear ran down his face and he leaned forward, the hand over Kurama's mouth vanishing as he got closer. He pressed his lips gently to the redhead's, the kiss gentle, soothing, not at all demanding. He pulled away, giving him that emotional look again._

"_Please don't leave me." The far-away voice spoke again, burning in his ear._

"_Friend, family, him. Make your choice! Your abusive family, will you choose them? They hurt you, drove you away, took you for granted, but they are your only family. Will you choose your friends, so different from you, so alien, leaving him? Putting yourself and him in danger? Or will you choose him? Though he only sees you as his little sister, dead for so long, now a bit of her returning in you. Which will you choose? Which _can_ you choose?" Turning his face away from all three of them, Kurama tried to think, but that insistent void was worse than any noise he had ever experienced._

"_I-I don't know…I just don't know!"_

"_Come with us!"_

"_We love you."_

"_Please don't leave me."_

"_Kurama."_

"_Kurama!"_

"_Kurama." Kurama felt as though he would go insane, hearing them all speak his name. He couldn't hear himself think, the void and the noise making his head pound._

"_I…I…I can't…hear myself think! Please, let me think!"_

"_Kurama, they don't matter! We've been your friends forever, like the three Musketeers! Come back to us! We love you!"_

"_Kurama, we're your real family. We love you so much, and we'll show you a real family. Come back to us. We love you."_

"_Please don't leave me. Please. I love you."_

"_Why the hell do you love me so much?!" The three seemed surprised and backed away, releasing him slightly. Kurama continued, thoughts pouring into his words. It was the only way he could think._

"_I'm not some heaven-sent angel! I'm just a human! Maybe I have better looks than some, maybe I have more brains than some, but I'm not some goddamn perfect fairy princess! I'm mentally insane! I forget things, I have these huge gaps in my memory, I treat my alternate personality like they're just a person only I can see, I talk to plants, I even imagine that they can talk back to me! I'm not perfect! Why the hell do you all love me so much?!" Toru spoke up instantly, taking his wrist again._

"_You're my son." Yusuke took the front of his shirt again, the touch making him feel like he was being burned._

"_You're my best friend! _Our_ best friend! We love you even beside your faults!" Kurama turned his head slowly towards Hiei, whom was just staring at him oddly._

"_H-Hiei?" The other male stared at him for a bit longer, then shook his head, backing up. _

"_I…I don't know. I don't know why I love you. I just…do."_

"_Hiei!" The crime lord disappeared into the darkness and the void in his head started up again, Yusuke and Toru's voice swirling around him, burning his ears, making his head hurt so badly._

"_Kurama!"_

"_Kurama."_

"_Kurama!"_

"_Kurama."_

"_Choose!"_

"_I-I…I choose Hiei!" Everything suddenly disappeared, leaving an infinite black pit. Kurama gasped as he felt himself fall into nothingness, the void so large he could almost hear it. Complete silence. He tried to scream, to break the void or at least have there be noise, but he couldn't. Freezing cold hands suddenly grabbed his body, running over all of his flesh, somehow burning through the cloth, like fire made of ice. He felt like he was submerged in freezing water, drowning in it. Suddenly, a hand came out of the darkness, reaching down for him. Surprised, the redhead reached up tentatively and touched it. He was kneeling on a road of white, hand touching Hiei's. The crime lord was standing in front of him, smiling gently. _

"_Thank you, Kurama." _

Kurama jerked awake, eyes wide and body covered with a cold sweat. He sat up and looked around, blinking in surprise as he did. He was wearing thin, silken pajamas and was in Hiei's bed. It was still dark outside and, upon consulting the alarm clock off to his left, Kurama discovered it was around three in the morning. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and tried to remember what the dream had been.

_Damn. I haven't had these dreams in so long, and now two in one week?_

He sighed again and stood, deciding to go wander around for a bit, since he doubted he would be getting back to sleep any time soon. Inky, whom had been sleeping on the pillow beside his head, perked up and quickly hopped off the bed next to him. Chuckling, the redhead knelt and scratched her behind the ears.

"You don't have to get up too, Inky. Go back to sleep." The kit yawned widely, but didn't make any move to get back on the bed. Kurama smiled and picked her up, setting her across his shoulders. He headed out, looking around cautiously as he headed down to the kitchen. Upon reaching it, he paused as he heard voices inside. The door was open a crack and he peeked in to see who it was. Upon recognizing them, he slipped in quietly. However, his presence was not unnoticed. Kuronue and Puu, the latter of whom had been sitting behind the counter island and the former of whom had been leaning against the other side, his head awfully close to Puu's, looked up as he came in. Kurama smiled and waved, trying not to smile too much.

"Sorry if I interrupted anything." Kuronue pulled away a bit as Puu tried not to blush and grinned.

"Not at all. We were just talking. Can't sleep?" The redhead shook his and Kuronue motioned for him to sit while retrieving a mug and putting on a pot of water.

"I'll make you some tea." The three chatted for a while, since none of them could really sleep at all; Puu because he could never sleep in the middle of the night, Kuronue because he never slept during the night, and Kurama because he didn't know if he _wanted_ to sleep tonight. It was almost four thirty in the morning when Kurama asked a question that had been burning in his mind for a while.

"Hey, do either of you know where Hiei is?" The two fell silent, exchanging nervous looks. Kurama caught the look and things clicked in his head.

"Ah." He finished his tea and stood, smiling at them both.

"Thank you for your company and the tea. I think I'm going to go back to sleep now. Good night." He left the kitchen silently, Inky bounding after him. Inside the kitchen, Kuronue sighed and leaned against the counter.

"Now I feel bad." Puu nodded miserably, head in his hands.

"I hope Hiei-sama knows what he's doing." Kurama didn't catch the last part of the conversation, already heading back to Hiei's room. He paused at one point and picked up Inky, since she seemed rather tired.

"You didn't _have_ to come with me, you know." The kit just wagged her bushy tail at him and fell asleep in his arms. Smiling fondly, Kurama headed up the steps and glanced over his shoulder to see Yoko following him.

"Yoko, do you know what happened? In the forest and the cellar." Scowling more at himself than at Kurama, the fox shook his head.

"No. I can't remember either. It feels like something bad happened in the cellar at least, since we were knocked out and bleeding, but I don't remember taking over our body. Why didn't I come out to save you?" Kurama shook his head. He had no idea either. Once in Hiei's room, he gently placed Inky on the bed and sat down, letting Yoko settle in beside him. Absentmindedly, the bandit king picked up a brush and began running it through the redhead's hair.

"It feels like…it has _something_ to do with Karasu. I mean, he _was_ supposed to be in the cellar, but he wasn't when Hiei found us." Yoko nodded, working on a particularly nasty snarl.

"I think Hiei has theory, but he doesn't seem quite ready to tell us."

"Perhaps he hasn't told us because we were unconscious most of the time he was with us." The bandit fox scoffed.

"You're forgetting I can see what goes on around us after you fall unconscious, even if I can't do anything about it. Of course, after a bit it gives me a migraine so I fall asleep with you."

"What did you see?" Here Yoko paused, suddenly wondering if he really wanted to tell the teen. Hiei had ordered Toguro to gather some of the best trackers and call a few of their contacts to try and find Karasu. He had then given Kurama's body a strange look and told Kuronue to take him up to his room and change him into clothes better suited for sleep. Before that, however, Yoko had seen what Hiei had done to check Kurama's more body thoroughly. He had seen the blood as well.

"…Hiei went to go look for Karasu. Seemed pretty intent on it too." Kurama nodded a bit to himself and Yoko frowned at his hands as he continued to brush Kurama's hair. He couldn't remember anything that happened. It was like there was this hole in his and Kurama's memories, as if someone had come in and torn out the memory itself and stored it somewhere else.

_But who? Is there even anyone who can do that?_

Shaking his head, the bandit king finished brushing Kurama's hair and tied it into a neat braid. During the treatment, the redhead dozed off a bit. Instead of waking him up, Yoko just set the alarm clock and settled the boy in bed, disappearing himself. He went as far into the teen's mind as he could, searching. For what, though, he had no idea.

**I AM A LINE PLEASE IGNORE ME BECAUSE I AM NOTHING MORE THAN A LINE**

Hiei pulled the hood of his jacket over his head to ward off the rain. It had been raining an awful lot recently, but the weather was uncontrollable, so he thought nothing of it. He was more concentrated on other things anyway. Currently, he was sitting on the roof just outside of his window. Inside, Kurama was wandering around the room, getting ready for bed, and talking to Yoko. Or Inky. It was hard to tell, since it sounded like he was talking to himself either way. It had been two days since Hiei found Kurama in the cellar, and two days since he left, thinking about Kurama's question. That one sentence was like this drill, driving into his head without pause for almost 72 hours. It bugged the living crap out of him. Scowling up at the sky, he leaned back against the roof and just stared at the clouds, letting the sound of Kurama's voice wash over him, even though it was a bit muffled by the rain.

"What kind of question is that? Of _course_ I'm worried! I haven't seen him for two days now. He didn't even tell me where he was going or leave a note. And Kuronue and Puu haven't had any contact either. … Well, I don't…but still, wouldn't they tell me? … Oh…true enough, I guess. But why would he tell them _not_ to tell me where he is? … Why would he want to hide his location from me? I can hardly go after him and it's not like I'm out to get him." After a moment's pause, Kurama frowned and threw a towel at the bed. Hiei decided that he was talking to Yoko and the bandit was (in Kurama's mind) sitting on the bed. His assumptions were correct when Kurama snorted and turned back around to brush his hair.

"It serves you right, jerk." Hiei watched as the teen suddenly paused, eyes softening. Then Hiei's eyes went to the mirror and he felt himself go completely still as, for only a few seconds, he saw someone hugging the redhead loosely. They had long, silver hair, deep, golden eyes and a pair of furry, soft-looking silver fox ears atop their head.

_That's…Yoko?_

The image was suddenly gone and Kurama was murmuring to himself. Or rather, to Yoko. Shaking his head quickly, Hiei tried to push it out of his mind and decided he was wet and cold. Swinging around, he gently tapped on the window. Instantly, Kurama's head snapped up and his eyes caught Hiei's, surprise and happiness filling them. He hurried over to the window and unlocked it, pulling it open.

"Hiei, what are you doing out there? It's freezing!" Hning, the crime lord slipped in and shook himself slightly, removing his soaked jacket. Two pale, slender hands took it off for him and Kurama spoke in a slightly amused tone.

"Do you have something against using the door?" Hiei glared at him slightly before taking his shoes off as well, handing them to the teen as he held his hand out for them.

"Who were you talking to."

"Oh, no one. Just Yoko." Oddly enough, Hiei could almost hear Yoko protesting to being called 'no one'. Humming slightly to himself, Kurama headed into the bathroom to hang Hiei's jacket and shoes.

"So, did you have a good trip?"

"…It was enlightening."

"Is that good or bad?" Hiei shrugged and pulled his shirt off as well. It was fairly wet too, since he'd been outside in the rain for quite a while. Inky watched him sleepily from the pillow as he disrobed and searched around for proper bed garments.

"Whether it was really good or bad still remains to be seen, I guess. How's your head?" Taking Hiei's wet clothes into the bathroom as well, Kurama shrugged.

"Well, I'm still crazy."

"That's not what I meant." The redhead couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I know. I just couldn't resist. What's the fun in being legally insane if you can't make fun of it every so often? Anyway, I've always been one to heal fairly quickly, so it's all right. I had a rather splendid bruise on the side of my face. You missed it."

"How sad. What color was it?"

"A rather dark purple-blue-black color. Hurt like everything whenever I accidentally touched it, but it really made my eyes stand out." Hiei grinned a bit.

"How is it now?"

"Still hurts if I press it too hard deliberately and if I hit that side of my head I get a headache, but other than that it's much better." The crime lord nodded, mostly to himself. He watched Kurama out of the corner of his eye as the teen turned off the lights in the bathroom, closing the door before settling on the bed. Inky, seeing as how she was going to be kicked off anyway, grumbled as she padded over to the foot of the bed. They somehow managed to make conversation for the next half an hour. It was the most uncomfortable, most awkward thirty minutes of Hiei's life. They both had something they wanted to say and ask, but neither knew how to bring it up, or if they even _could_. They ran out of things to talk about upsettingly quick and just kind of stared at each other for a few minutes. Hiei swallowed nervously and prepared to shatter the friendly calm that had settled between them when Kurama suddenly spoke quickly.

"I found out yesterday that Dr. Daioh is fully recovered. She somehow got your number and called me. She said she wants me to come over to her office some time soon so she can figure out what's been going on with my memory, like why there are these giant gaps."

"Like the woods and the cellar?"

"Yeah." Hiei nodded slightly, then cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Kurama, that reminds me…" The redhead's body jerked a bit and he avoided looking at Hiei directly.

"Y-yes?" Hiei fiddled with his fingers, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

"Um…well…a-about three days ago…you…um…asked me a question…" Kurama's face instantly turned a bit red and he coughed lightly, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"A-ah. Y-yes…" Swallowing nervously, Hiei chewed the inside of his cheek.

"I uh…I was thinking about it…about my answer…" The room suddenly got very, very uncomfortable. Both males shifted awkwardly, both wanting to say something to the other, but not sure if they should. The seconds dragged into minutes, neither saying a word. The air was so thick with tension that it felt like you could cut it with a dull knife. Both were listening to the voices in their heads, encouraging them to do _something._ Yoko glared and tapped his foot impatiently.

"…Damn it Kurama, will you just tell him you love him and screw him into the wall already?!" Kurama gave a small yelp and spun around to face Yoko, face going red.

"Yoko! I can't do that!" Hiei blinked and stared at the teen, who turned an even darker shade of red and stammered slightly.

"U-uh…s-sorry…Yoko…" After a few seconds, Kurama gestured, somewhat lamely, to where Yoko appeared to him, looking rather embarrassed. Hiei turned a bit red as well, looking down.

"Uh…right…" In Hiei's mind, he could hear Son laughing at him.

"_Oh my god! You can make half a dozen grown men piss their pants by just _looking_ at them, but you can't even tell a teenaged kid how you feel about him! You're are such a freaking pussy!_" Resisting the urge to physically talk back to the voice, Hiei glared at the ground, eyes narrowing.

_Damn it! What the hell am I doing?! I'm acting like a schoolgirl about to tell her crush she likes him! Fuck this! I'm a goddamn MAN! I've been thinking about this for the past _three days_! What the hell was the point if I can't even tell him my answer?! Goddamn it! Screw this fucking pansy-assed _bull_shit!_

This in mind, Hiei stood up and marched over to the teen, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to look up.

"Kurama, I've been thinking about your damn question for the past three days and damn it, it took me that long to figure out I love you!" Kurama looked a bit shocked, emerald eyes staring into Hiei's crimson orbs. He seemed unable to speak for a few seconds, something Hiei took to mean his feelings weren't returned. Releasing him, the crime lord turned away.

"Even though you don't feel the same, you asked and I'm telling you the truth." He was about to leave when a pale hand grabbed his wrist, holding him back. He turned a bit to see sparkling emerald eyes and a small smirk on Kurama's face.

"We really need to work on your patience. You didn't let me tell you how _I_ feel." It was Hiei's turn to be a bit surprised. Kurama smiled and released his wrist, giving him a bit of amused look.

"Now. Are you going to kiss me, or do I have to do everything myself?" Not being stupid in the slightest, Hiei didn't need to be told twice. He was on Kurama in an instant, their lips locked together. He could feel the redhead's arms wrap around his neck and relief flooded his system at the touch, at not being turned away. He wanted badly to hug the teen back, but he needed at least one hand to support himself over the other. He slid his free hand through Kurama's silky red hair, as if afraid he would disappear at any point. Kurama held him tightly back, refusing to let him go now or ever. Yoko decided not to make any comments, instead just disappearing into Kurama's mind. It felt wrong to add a running commentary through Kurama's first time. He had _some_ shame. Inky, upon seeing that the two weren't about to go to bed-excuse me, go to _sleep_ any time soon, hopped off the bed and slunk out of the room to the kitchen where hopefully, people would be less inclined to be making a fuss. Of course, upon spotting the going-ons in the kitchen, she changed direction and stalked off to Toguro's room in a grumpy huff. The large man was stretched out on his bed, reading a bit to help him sleep. He looked up as the kit slunk into his room, one eyebrow rising.

"Hiei-sama's room no longer meeting your standards?" Inky grumbled and curled up on one of his pillows, muttering angrily into her tail. Toguro chuckled a bit.

"At least Hiei-sama has good taste."

"Pfft."

End of Chapter 14

Okay, I feel bad now for taking so damn long. I'm partly in shock at all the new friends I have. Please know that I'm trying to write the sex scene for Hiei and Kurama, but the ideas flow for a couple o minutes and then pretty much die or get hijacked by something completely different. (Damn it L! Stop eye-raping Light while he fights Itachi!) But I am trying to get over my...er...issues. I will write the next chapter! Really! But...I have so much to do... cries If you want the whole list of what I have to do, it's on my DA account. More crying I'm sorry again!


	15. Announcement

Hello everyone! No, sorry, this isn't a new chapter unfortunately. This is effectively a...warning? Not really that dramatic. More like an announcement, actually. I just finished a nine day writing camp that has left me with a new appreciation for writing. It also helped me find my own voice in writing, which I want to exercise. So I'm going to be rewriting the stories I have going on. They might change drastically, depending on how things end up. In fact I'm kind of expecting them to. I hope you'll be pleased with the result.

I will not be taking my old stories down, however. I will be adding '- Will Not be Completed' to the end. I know it bothered me when people took down their stories that I was reading and really liked, completed or otherwise. So even though I'm going to be rewriting them, a lot of people like what I've already done. I'll leave them up for you to come back to and reminisce if you like. You can even continue them on your own if you really like this particular strain.

I'm sorry if you're upset by this, but keep an eye out for the rewritten stories and hopefully you'll like them just as much.


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